


Rash Defamation

by Data_Girl_3



Series: There's Always a Crisis [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-17
Updated: 2017-01-17
Packaged: 2018-07-24 11:20:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 65,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7506268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Data_Girl_3/pseuds/Data_Girl_3
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a day-long internal mediation, Emma decides to take a chance and see where a relationship with Hook could go.  When she seeks him out to discuss the matter, she overhears something so upsetting, it threatens to even put an end to their friendship.  The wedge between them could not have come at a worse time, as a new enemy has arrived Storybrooke.  Season 3 canon divergence- Pan was defeated before he could cast his curse, and everyone was able to stay in Storybrooke.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sounds in the Night

Emma Swan stood in front of the door to Room 4 at Granny’s Bed and Breakfast, absentmindedly rubbing the elaborately engraved key label with her thumb. It had been a while since she’d been here, so it did surprise her that Granny had actually given her the key to the same room she’d been given when she first came to Storybrooke. What were the odds that Hook just happened to end up with Room 5, just next door? She supposed some people would call that serendipity at its finest. Standing there in the hall, Emma’s thoughts went back to that morning, and the conversation that ultimately led her to this point.

**Flashback**

It had been nearly four months since they’d all returned from Neverland and defeated Pan, and to everyone’s pleasant surprise, everything seemed completely normal in Storybrooke. At least, as normal as a town populated by fairy tale characters could be. In fact, apart from a few minor public disturbance incidents, such as that one weekend when some of the former Lost Boys had the radio turned up too loud, and the occasional parking violation, the activity at the Sheriff’s Station was practically non-existent, meaning Emma was able to simply spend the majority of her shifts watching movies with the old TV and VCR setup. Mostly old Disney movies, so she could compare them to the actual tales in Henry’s storybook.

Unfortunately, the tranquility came to an end three weeks ago. It was subtle at first, so it was hard to determine with certainty the precise moment it all began, but people seemed to be disappearing from the town. The first report had come when Miss Ginger called, saying that she hadn’t seen any sort of activity from the home of her elderly neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Clogg, all day, and was concerned about their well-being. When Emma had gone by to check up on the old couple, their house had been completely deserted, with no sign of a struggle. After that, reports of people going missing seemed to come in on a daily basis. Finally, after one of Henry’s classmates admitted her mother hadn’t returned home from running an errand, an emergency town meeting was called in order to create an accurate assessment over how many people had gone missing and to try and come up with ideas on how to go about finding answers. But when the scheduled time for the start of the meeting arrived, it was impossible to overlook how many seats still remained empty.

“How could we have not noticed anything sooner?” Mary Margret whispered, glancing around the sparsely-filled room within the town hall.

“Try not to worry.” Ruby replied, placing a comforting arm around her best friend’s shoulder. “We don’t know anything yet.”

“She’s right,” David agreed. “And whatever is going on, we’ll figure it out.” When Mary Margret returned the encouraging smile, David moved to the front of the room to begin the meeting. After thanking everyone for coming out on such short notice, he proceeded to assure the townspeople that they’d do everything they could to find out what was causing the disappearances. Unfortunately, his words only seemed to trigger the floodgate of panicked questions.

“But what’s happening to everyone?”

“Have they found a way to go back to our land?”

“Are they even still alive?”

“What if it’s another curse? Who cast it?”

Emma’s attention was pulled away from her father’s attempts to calm everyone by a low ‘ _pssst_ ’ sound. Glancing over, she saw Neal poking his head around the door. After giving him a wave of acknowledgement, she quietly fetched Henry, who had been sitting nearby, and escorted him outside.

“Hi, Dad!” Henry greeted happily.

“Hey, Buddy. I’ll join you in a bit, okay?”

“Thanks for agreeing to spend the day with him,” Emma said as Henry walked off. “Until we figure out why people are going missing…”

“Don’t worry about it, Henry will be fine,” Neal assured. Giving him a quick smile of gratitude, Emma turned to rejoin the meeting, but before she could take a single step, Neal began to speak again.

“So, I was thinking. When this meeting lets out, why don’t you join us for lunch? Just the three of us.”

“Neal,” Emma replied, barely able to hold back a grimace. “This isn’t the best time.”

“Yeah, I got that.” Neal shrugged. “But you still gotta eat. And it would mean a lot to Henry.”

“Look, I’m sorry, but I can’t right now,” Emma insisted, feeling irritated that Neal had actually resorted to dragging Henry into this. “After this meeting lets out, Regina and I are going to head out to her vault to continue my lessons.”

“Wait.” Neal immediately frowned in disapproval. “You mean, you’re _still_ learning magic? Emma, are you out of your mind?!”

“Please don’t start,” Emma begged, feeling a fresh wave of weariness. “People are disappearing. If it turns out that there _is_ someone behind this, I might need my magic to stop them, before they can get near someone I care about. Like Henry.”

“You realize how many times my father used that that same excuse? How many times he insisted he was only using magic for me?”

“Neal, I’m not….”

“Just think hard about it Emma,” Neal said, cutting her off. “Because I don’t want to see our son go through what I did.” Without another word, Neal turned and walked off to join Henry, leaving Emma standing there, completely taken aback by Neal’s words. The underlying accusation left her so shaken, she couldn’t find it in her to return to the meeting. Instead, she deposited herself on a bench at the end of the hall so she could be alone with her thoughts.

After a few minutes, however, she was alerted to someone’s presence by the sound of their footsteps coming closer. With a soft sigh, Emma fought against the sudden urge to shift over on the bench to make room next to her. While she would never admit it, even to herself, she somehow knew who had come after her before he even spoke.

“You all right, Swan?” Hook asked gently. “I saw you leaving with your boy when Neal stopped by to collect him, but you took so long in coming back in, I thought something might have happened.”

“I’m fine,” Emma insisted, a bit too quickly. Instead of calling her out on her obvious attempt at deflecting, Hook simply perched himself on the arm of the bench, wordlessly offering her his flask of rum, which Emma accepted with a soft ‘ _thanks_.’ For a time, the two simply sat in a comfortable silence, until Emma could no longer hold back the question that was plaguing her mind.

“Am I making a mistake?” she asked.

“I’m afraid you’re going to have to be more articulate than that. What exactly is this mistake you think you might be making?”

“Letting Regina teach me magic. We’ve both seen what magic did to her, and what it did to Gold. Am I making a mistake in continuing to learn it myself?”

“Is that what has you vexed?” Hook inquired, arching an eyebrow.

“Maybe,” Emma admitted. “I keep telling myself that I might need my magic if there’s actually some new threat out there causing these disappearances, but what if I’m just rationalizing, the way Regina and Gold were when they started out? What if I….?”

“Emma,” Hook interrupted gently. “The difference between you and them is that Regina and Gold both purposely went and sought out magic. They both chose to become infused with it. But you? You were born with magic inside of you. Don’t forget that I saw the power inside of you, when Cora tried to steal your heart. Magic is a part of who you are. It’s what makes you the Savior. You can’t just deny such a vital part of yourself, Swan. You should embrace it.” For a brief moment, Emma nearly allowed a smile to form on her face, but then his words started to sink in. How could he have witnessed the moment when her heart was nearly taken by Cora? She distinctly remembered knocking him out before that had happened. Hook had been lying unconscious at the time. Hadn’t he? As that thought crossed her mind, she turned to question him, but her words died in her throat the moment she met his eyes, which were trained directly on her, filled with sincerity, deep admiration, and….

Acting quickly, refusing to even think the word, she passed the flask back to Hook, turning away.

“You should go back to the meeting, Hook,” Emma stated.

“Actually, the meeting was starting to wrap itself up when I stepped out,” Hook explained. “I just wanted to make sure you were all right before I set off.”

“Set off?” Emma asked, looking back up at him.

“During the meeting, someone brought up the possibility that, if there is someone behind the disappearances, they might be hiding somewhere beyond the town line. It would explain why no one has noticed anything unusual, apart from the people going missing. Most people can’t leave Storybrooke without once again reverting back to their cursed persona, so it would only make sense for a new enemy to set up camp where no one could go. I volunteered my services to go and run reconnaissance, to see if there is someone lurking beyond the town line.”

“You did?” Emma blinked in amazement.

“Let’s not forget, Swan, that I wasn’t caught up in Regina’s curse. Which means I’m one of the only people who can leave Storybrooke without losing my memories. Why not use that to our advantage?”

“But, what if you end up getting caught by whoever’s causing all of this before you get the chance to warn us?” Emma asked, finding herself surprised by the sudden feeling of panic welling up inside her and hoping it wasn’t detected in her voice.

“I’m a pirate, love. Escaping problematic situations and avoiding capture is something I’m all too familiar with. Besides, I won’t be going alone. Tink and some of the older Lost Boys are joining me, seeing as how they can also cross the town line without consequence. Even if we run into trouble, between the five of us, we’ll be able to get away without too much of a melee.”

Emma opened her mouth to respond to that, but before she could say anything, Hook reached out to give her hand a comforting squeeze, turning the full force of his intense gaze on her.

“I promise you, we’ll take the utmost care,” he assured in a near-whisper. For nearly half a minute, Emma held Hook’s gaze, unable to look away. There was a brief moment when she thought he might actually kiss her, and her eyes instantly glanced down at his lips. But then, the moment was broken, with Hook clearing his throat while standing back up again. Casting one last smile at her, he turned and headed off.

**End Flashback**

Emma had been unable to get that conversation out of her head the entire duration of her walk to Regina’s vault. By the time she’d arrived, she had reached the point where she’d internally berated herself for dwelling so much on it. These lessons were important, and she needed to focus on them if she seriously wanted to learn anything. Unfortunately, it turned out that, no matter how hard she tried to pay attention to what Regina was telling her, her mind just kept bouncing back to Hook and how he was once again going out of his way to help her and her family. First it was him volunteering to bring them to Neverland to save Henry, even though he had no real reason to do so. In fact, he and Henry hadn’t even spoken to each other at that point. Now he was once again volunteering his assistance, just because he was one of the few people who could leave the town at will.

If that wasn’t enough, there was also his words of encouragement, which actually helped alleviate the fears Neal’s disparagement had given her. Just like he did in Neverland, he actually made her feel more confident and forget her hesitations, simply by offering her praise and encouragement. If she was honest with herself, it almost scared her how much his faith in her made her feel like she could actually succeed in whatever she intended to do. No one had ever believed in her that much. It actually made her wonder if Hook really was different from everyone else in her past. Was it really worth it to take a leap of faith and find out?

In the end, Regina had gotten so fed up with Emma’s inattention, she announced that she wasn’t going to continue teaching Emma until she got her act together. Her exact words were ‘ _I don’t know what exactly you’re trying to deliberate over, Miss Swan, but whatever it is, just go and get it over with._ ’ Of course, when Emma had finally had built up the courage to come to Granny’s in order to see him, she’d been informed that Hook still hadn’t returned from his reconnaissance mission. Deciding that it was probably more practical to simply wait for him to return then to leave and come back later, she decided on the spot to simply rent a room at Granny’s so she’d be able to make herself comfortable while waiting. And if she took the room next to his, it would be easier for her to hear him when he returned. Which is how she ended up here, standing outside Room 4.

Taking a deep breath, Emma placed the key into the lock and entered the room. Looking around, she couldn’t help but notice that everything was exactly how it was when she last saw it before Regina had coerced Granny to kick her out after the frame job. Then again, she knew she probably shouldn’t have expected anything else. After depositing her car keys on the nearby dresser and sending her parents a quick text to let them know not to wait up for her, she selected one of the books from the wall-mounted bookshelf in order to have something to pass the time while waiting. Settling into the wicker chair positioned near the door, Emma began reading the old book, keeping an ear open for Hook’s return.

* * *

 

Emma’s eyes flew open at the muffled sound of a door banging shut out in the hallway. The first thing she noticed was how dark the room had become, followed almost instantly by the dull ache in her lower back and neck from the awkward angle her body was positioned in. It didn’t take her long to realize she must have fallen asleep in the old wicker chair, waiting for Hook to return. Ignoring her body’s reluctance to move, she pulled herself to her feet. Determined to work out the kinks in her stiff muscles, she crossed the room to the window, looking out onto the deserted street below. The illumination of Stroybrooke’s iconic clock tower confirmed Emma’s suspicion of the late hour- it was only slightly past two in the morning. With a sigh of acquiescence, she decided that it was best to put things on hold until morning. Either Hook had returned to Granny’s while she was asleep and had already gone to bed, or the closing door that had awoken her had been his, which meant he was only just getting back now, and therefore was probably tired and simply wanted to get some sleep. It wouldn’t be fair to him to disturb him any more tonight.

Stifling a yawn, Emma began to make her way to the bed. Before she could reach it, however, she started to hear noises permeating from the wall behind the headboard; the wall that separated her room from the one Granny said Hook had been occupying since they’d returned from Neverland. Because of how thin the walls were, it was quite easy for Emma to identify the sound as squeaking mattress springs. Instantly, Emma froze in place, feeling a sudden wave of confusion mixed with concern. Yes, the old beds at the bed and breakfast were not always the most comfortable, and it was not uncommon for the occupants to toss and turn quite a bit. But Hook had undoubtedly been long accustomed to sleeping aboard the Jolly Roger. Emma had experienced firsthand how hard and uncomfortable the beds were aboard the ship, and from what Henry had told her, the bed in the captain’s quarters was probably not that much better than the ones typically occupied by the crew. So it was highly unlikely that Hook would be having issues with the mattresses at Granny’s.

Immediately, a thought crossed Emma’s mind. Was Hook having a nightmare? As that thought occurred to her, she realized she never really took the time to take notice of his sleeping patterns during Operation Henry, given how she was solely focused on getting her son back. But now that she thought back, Hook never seemed to rest very easily while they were on the island. In fact, she now had to admit she never really saw him sleep at all, apart from what could only be considered a few brief catnaps. Emma began to feel slightly guilty as the realization sank in. Even though he never really went into detail on the matter, she had been able to determine that Neverland held a lot of unpleasant memories for Hook. And yet, Emma had never taken the time to consider how returning to Neverland to help save Henry might have affected him. Was it possible that he was still suffering from the ordeal of once again going back to that island, and was still being plagued by nightmares?

Just as Emma was starting to consider going over to Hook’s room to confirm her suspicions, a new sound reached her ears. A sound that was just as easily identifiable, and therefore made Emma feel a sudden sinking feeling in her chest. It was the sound of a woman moaning in pleasure. Instantly, she realized that she had been horribly wrong. Hook wasn’t having a nightmare at all. He was with someone.

The moment she realized this, the sounds of the squeaking bed springs leveled off into a more rhythmic pattern, and the woman’s moans grew louder, accompanied by the occasional ‘ _don’t stop_ ’ and ‘ _so good_ ’. The mystery woman, whoever she was, was clearly a screamer. In spite of everything, Emma found herself letting out a bitter chuckle. Figures Hook would end up bringing a loud one back with him. It was probably one of the women who frequented the Rabbit Hole, looking for a good time. Unbidden, a mental image entered Emma’s head, of a naked woman writhing about on the bed as Hook hovered above her with her legs wrapped around his hips, gripping the headboard with his good hand for leverage as he thrust into her an aggressive pace. It wasn’t until she felt the cold moisture slide down her cheek that Emma realized she was crying. Fighting back a sudden cry of devastation, she dropped to her knees, shaking in misery, childishly covering her ears in a vain attempt to muffle the sounds coming from Hook’s room, which now included the muffled but still distinct sound of masculine groans.

As if her subconscious mind wanted to add to the torture of listening to Hook having sex with some other woman in the next room, his voice began ringing in her ears. ‘ _I was hoping it’d be you. You are bloody brilliant. Amazing. I don’t mean to upset you, Emma, but I think we make quite the team. Actually, I quite fancy you from time to time, when you're not yelling at me. Perhaps I would. I never thought I'd be capable of letting go of my first love, of my Milah; to believe that I could find someone else. That is, until I met you. When I win your heart, Emma... and I will win it... it will not be because of any trickery. It will be because you want me._ ’

A gasping sob instantly slipped from Emma’s lips as the memory of that last vow echoed through her mind. Unable to hold back her misery any longer, she allowed the hurt and angry tears to fall from her eyes as the mocking sounds of creaking bedsprings and piercing cries of ecstasy from the nameless woman raged on from the next room. The worst part was that she’d let herself believe that Hook had been genuine in his words. Now she could see that his words had been just that- words. Just a bunch of pretty lines he’d used to try and win her over. And she’d been stupid enough to fall for them. Just not quickly enough, it seemed. Hook had obviously written her off as a lost cause and simply moved on to someone more willing. Someone less broken and damaged. For all she knew, Hook might have been sleeping with other women this whole time, from the moment they’d returned from Neverland, and she’d been completely ignorant of it. How could she have been such an idiot? Why did she think Hook would be any different from anyone else? That he wouldn’t end up letting her down in the end, or decide she wasn’t worth the effort after all? She should have known better. Nothing good ever came from letting yourself hope. It only led to disappointment and betrayal.

Steeling herself, Emma wiped away the tears that clung to her eyelashes, getting to her feet. From the sound of it, Hook and his booty call had finished, as things had finally quieted down.

"Good riddance," Emma whispered to herself. But she was still unable to completely vanquish the residual misery that remained nestled in her chest. For a brief moment, she considered simply curling up into a ball in the nearby bed and just sleep for the next few days. Anything to momentary escape the humiliation and pain of rejection. Before she could do so however, the sounds of creaking bedsprings stated back up again, somehow sounding even louder and more forceful than before. This time, they were accompanied by the unmistakable sound of the headboard slamming against the wall. Immediately, Emma’s eyes flashed in irritated frustration. Obviously, she’d misjudged Hook again. He hadn’t decided to stop for the night. He’d just been gearing up for another round.

Huffing in disgust, Emma turned and simply walked out of the room, deciding to crash at the sheriff’s station. After all, there was no other option open to her. There was no way she was going to stick around and continue to be serenaded by the sounds of Hook and his latest conquest having sex. And if she returned to the loft apartment now, she might end up waking her parents. She didn’t want to have to face them right now, or explain what had just happened. As angry as she was right now, she just didn’t have the strength to discuss it at the moment. Because deep down, she knew doing so would only result in her anger to give way to the sorrow and heartbreak that threatened to flare up at the slightest provocation. Hopefully, once morning arrived, she’d be able to hold herself together.


	2. What Hurts the Most

It was roughly nine in the morning when Emma woke up to the sound of her cellphone ringing. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she picked her head off of her desk where she’d fallen asleep a few hours ago. While she knew she could have taken a cot in one of the two available cells, she decided against it, knowing that if she were to wake up in a half-asleep state, she might end up briefly panicking upon noticing she was inside a jail cell. Pushing aside the bad memories, Emma reached out to pick up the still-ringing phone.

“Hello?” she answered.

“Emma, there you are!” David’s voice replied, a barely-suppressed note of panic in his tone. “When your mother and I saw your bed was empty, we thought you were…. Where are you?”

“I crashed at the sheriff’s station,” Emma explained, starting to realize they might have been worried she had ended up being among the people who disappeared. “Sorry. I didn’t want to wake you two up by coming in late.”

“It’s okay,” David assured. “We’re heading out to the hospital now, so we’ll pick you up on the way.”

“Wait, the hospital?” Emma asked. “Did something happen? Henry! Is he….?”

“No, Henry’s fine! Early this morning, Anton went out to the bean fields again.”

“Did he find anything this time?” Emma instantly felt a wave of sympathy for her giant friend. Ever since the bean fields had been burned by an angry Regina, Anton had been trying, perhaps in vain, to revive the beans. While some people in town thought Anton was wasting his time, Emma understood his determination. Those beans were all he had left from his brothers, so it made sense that he would try so hard to bring them back.

“Unfortunately, the field still isn’t producing any beans,” David replied, sympathy woven into his voice. “But when he went out today, he found a man passed out on the ground.”

“Who was it?”

“That’s the thing. No one knows. He didn’t have any identification on him. But more importantly was what he was wearing when he was found. Emma, he was dressed as if he’d just came from the Enchanted Forest.”

“Wait, how is that possible? He’d have needed a magic bean, or…..”

“That’s why we’re heading down there now; to ask him how he got here. And maybe….”

“Maybe he knows something about the disappearances!” Emma exclaimed, catching on to what her father was getting to.

“Exactly,” David confirmed.

* * *

Less than ten minutes later, Emma, David and Mary Margret had arrived at the Storybrooke hospital, where Dr. Whale had escorted them to the room where the mysterious stranger had been placed. Upon stepping into the room, the man, now fully conscious, fixed them with a leery glance. Immediately, Emma concluded David had been right. She didn’t recognize this man at all and, judging by the expression on her parents’ faces, they didn’t either.

“Hello,” Emma began. “I realize you’re probably feeling very confused right now. Especially if we’re right in believing you came from the Enchanted Forest. Can you tell us how you got here?”

“How am I supposed to know if I can trust you?” the man asked, eyeing Emma as if sizing her up. “I don’t even know your name. For all I know, you’re the one responsible in bringing me to this land.” At these words, Emma had to suppress a smile, feeling an instant respect for this man.

“Okay, that’s fair,” she allowed. “I’m Emma Swan, the sheriff of Storybrooke.” At these words, Emma noticed a slight narrowing of the man’s eyes.

“A sheriff,” he muttered. “I haven’t had many good experiences with sheriffs.”

“It’s okay.” Mary Margret spoke up. “You can trust us. You’re among friends here.” Upon hearing Mary Margret speak, the man glanced over to her. Almost instantly, a look of recognition appeared on his face.

“You’re Snow White, aren’t you?” he asked.

“Oh! Have we met?”

“Not quite, but there was a time when our faces graced Wanted posters side by side. Robin of Locksley, at your service.”

“Robin? You mean…Robin Hood?” Emma asked, internally wondering if she’d ever stop getting surprised at finding out another fictional character was real.

“I see my reputation precedes me,” Robin replied.

“So, how did you get here?”

“I was out in the woods with the rest of the Merry Men. We were hunting, trying to find something for our dinner. Much heard something moving around in the bushes and fired off an arrow, thinking it was a rabbit or a pheasant. But it was something else instead. A strange creature with wings. I’ve never encountered the likes of it before. When Much’s shot flushed it out of hiding, the creature tried to attack us. Most of us managed to dodge the creature, but…my son, Roland; he was snatched up by the beast. I grabbed at the creature’s legs as it passed me, trying to stop it from taking Roland, but instead, it managed to fly off, carrying the both of us with it. I’m not sure how long we were flying, but the Merry Men were well out sight when a clearing appeared below us. In the center of the clearing, there was a swirling vortex of green light. Almost like a whirlpool, except it was on solid ground. The winged beast, still carrying my son and me, began to make its way down to the ground, flying towards it. I’m afraid I don’t remember much else after that. All I remember was, right before the winged creature carried Roland and me into the whirlpool, I caught a glimpse of a figure standing right next to it, dressed all in black. The next thing I remember, I was lying on the ground, next to your… it was a bean field, was it? That’s what your friend said when he came across me.”

As Robin’s story came to its end, Emma shared a glance with her parents.

“And you’re sure you can’t remember anything else?” Emma asked. “Anything about the person you saw standing in the clearing? Or the creature who took you and your son; can you describe it?”

“Not very well. Just that… it was covered with grey fur. And had a long tail. And I barely saw the person.

“Okay, then. Thank you for your help. If you happen to remember anything else, please let us know.”

“Wait! My son, Roland!” Robin exclaimed, suddenly sitting up straighter, looking as if he was about to jump out of the hospital bed. “Has anyone found him? Is he okay?” Immediately, Emma’s face shifted into a sympathetic expression.

“I’m sorry. No one’s seen him. You were the only one we found by the bean field. But I promise you, we will find him. A lot of people in town are also missing, and we’re doing everything we can to figure out what happened to them. Chances are, when we find the missing people, we’ll find your son, too.”

“And you expect me to just sit around and wait for that to happen?” Robin challenged, trying to climb out of bed, prompting David to stride forward and hold him back.

“Believe me, I know how you feel,” Emma assured in a gentle tone. “I have a son, too. And it was only a few months ago that he was kidnapped. I had to cross realms in order to get him back. I know what you must be going through now. So I promise you, I’ll find out what happened to Roland and get him back. But right now, you need to sit tight. Just for a little while. You said yourself you lost consciousness for a while. Dr. Whale wants a chance to look you over, to make sure you didn’t have a concussion or some other internal injury. It won’t do Roland any good if you put yourself at risk.”

After convincing Robin to stay put until the following morning, Emma stepped back into the hall to convene with David and Mary Margret.

“A green swirling vortex,” David mused. “That almost sounds like a portal created by a magic bean.”

“It would certainly explain how Robin and whoever is behind all of this managed to get to Storybrooke,” Mary Margret agreed. “The question is, how’d they manage to obtain one?”

“I think we’re forgetting something important,” Emma pointed out. “The disappearances have been going on for a few weeks now. From Robin’s story, he only just arrived in Storybrooke. If the person he saw before entering the magic bean portal is the one behind it, they might have been traveling back and forth for a while now. That explains why no one’s seen anything out of the ordinary. They weren’t avoiding detection by hiding out beyond the town line. They were hiding out back in the Enchanted Forest.”

“But how could anyone travel between Storybrooke and the Enchanted Forest so easily?”

“Don’t you see? Robin was found next to Anton’s bean field. Maybe that’s how this person’s doing it. We spent all this time thinking Anton wasn’t having any luck in salvaging the beans because they didn’t seem to be growing anything. But what if the beans were being grown successfully, and someone has been snatching them up as soon as they form, before anyone else had a chance to notice them? They could have plenty of magic beans hidden away by now.”

“But that means it could have been anyone,” David pointed out. “If they’re able to travel between Storybrooke and the Enchanted Forest indiscriminately, did they start off in the Enchanted Forest or is it someone who was already in Storybrooke?”

“I don’t know,” Emma admitted. “But I think I know how to find out.”

Just as Emma was about to head off, she froze in place when she heard the voice calling her name.

“Swan?” Immediately, Emma, David and Mary Margret all turned to see Hook making his way down the hall, heading towards them. “Is everything all right? I ran into Anton the giant outside Granny’s. He told me about the man he found, and said you were going to come down and find out his story.” Emma, instead of replying, could only stare at him in shock. She hadn’t expected to see him here. The appearance of Robin in town had driven away all thoughts of what had happened during the night, but now that he was here, standing right in front of her, the memories all came rushing back, and her mind began to replay the sounds she’d heard coming from his room. While Emma’s reaction didn’t go unnoticed, Mary Margret made an effort to alleviate the situation by filling Hook in on what they’d figured out.

“So, this person might have been hiding in the Enchanted Forest all along?” Hook summarized when the story was done. “Well, I suppose I feel a bit better now. I wasn’t looking forward to letting you all know we didn’t find anything during our search of the area past the town line. Good to know that there was nothing to find, anyway. I didn’t much care for the feeling of letting you down.” As he finished speaking, he turned and gave Emma a gigantic smile. It was the sight of his large grin that finally snapped Emma out of it, and her shock was replaced by a fresh wave of anger. This man had probably spent all night in the arms of that faceless, nameless woman, and he now had the nerve to stand here, smiling at her as if nothing had happened?

“Thanks for the report,” Emma replied stiffly. Without another word, she turned and started to walk off.

“Swan?” Hook called after her, breaking into a light jog to keep up with her retreating figure. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong. In case you’ve forgotten, we have a crisis on our hands, and thanks to…I can’t believe I’m not used to this by now…thanks to Robin Hood, we actually have an idea of how to figure out what we’re up against. To think, we can learn more from someone we just met than someone who was supposed to do something useful yesterday by finding out who was behind the disappearances.” Even as she said those words, Emma internally cringed at her angry retort, knowing that she wasn’t being fair. So she wasn’t too surprised when Hook gripped her shoulder with a gentle firmness and made her turn around to face him.

“No, Swan, something is wrong,” he disagreed, searching her face with a careful scrutiny. “Please, whatever the problem is, you can trust me.” Unfortunately, the moment Hook uttered the word ‘trust,’ Emma’s ire increased tenfold. This man had the gall to vow he’d win her heart honorably and then turn around and have loud sex with some random woman he picked up at the local bar. And he was now saying she could trust him?

“My problem, Hook,” Emma snapped, finally unleashing her anger, “is that I was there last night”

“Last night?” Hook asked, slightly cocking his head in confusion. “I don’t…”

“I went to Granny’s last night!” Emma interrupted, her words overflowing with rage. “I spent all day yesterday, thinking about how much you helped us in Neverland, and how you were now going out of your way to help us figure out these disappearances, even though you didn’t have a reason to help us either time. And I, like an idiot, actually thought that you might prove to be different. That you really meant everything you said to me. So I went to Granny’s last night, seeking you out. Because I was stupid enough to think it was worth taking a chance with you. But when Granny said you hadn’t come back yet, I decided to wait for you. I even rented the room next to yours. Guess what? I was still there when you arrived back around 2 in the morning. Which means I heard, Hook. I heard you and her, whoever she was.”

“What are you….?” Hook’s words stopped abruptly as his eyes grew wide with shock. “Oh. OH!” For a brief moment, Hook’s eyes glazed over, as if seeing something that wasn’t there, but then, with an expression that was a strange mix between embarrassment and urgency, snapped his attention back to Emma. “I can explain.”

“Don’t bother,” Emma hissed, giving him a death glare. “I don’t care what excuse you’ve come up with. Whatever you have to say, I’m not interested. It’s too late.” At these words, Hook gave a sharp intake of breath, hearing an underlining meaning to her words.

“Just what are you saying?” he asked. For a brief moment, Emma felt her words catch in her throat, and not just because of how Hook’s voice slightly shook with barely-suppressed fear. It was if every fiber of her being was trying to keep her from uttering the words she was planning to say, screaming at her to reconsider. However, Emma had learned a long time ago how to block out that feeling, and internally steeled herself for what came next.

“I’m saying,” she began, turning to walk away, “is that from now on, I want you to leave me alone."

“Wait,” Hook pleaded, reaching out to catch her wrist with his hook to stop her from walking off. “You don’t…. Emma, please, just hear me out! That wasn’t….”

“I said I wasn’t interested!” Emma cried, yanking her arm back. Even with her fury blazing, Emma still couldn’t help but notice how Hook hadn’t even tried to hold on to her, and simply let go when he felt her pull away, and when she turned to glower back at him, she was met with an expression that once again nearly made her resolve crumble. Hook was staring at her with more devastation and grief than she’d ever thought possible. It was the look of a man who had just been sentenced to death. For a brief moment, Emma felt her anger starting to be overpowered with the need to console the man standing before her, but then David suddenly appeared, stepping between them, and the spell was broken. Wordlessly, Emma closed her eyes and allowed Mary Margret to usher her away, focusing on blocking out the sound of David’s voice as he began directing a long tirade at the pirate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And Robin Hood enters the story. I hope no one is too angry at me for putting precious little Roland in danger. I promise there's a reason for it.


	3. Forming Alliances

“I can’t believe you talked me into this,” Regina huffed, tapping a single finger against the steering wheel in obvious impatience.

“I seem to remember you insisting on coming along,” Emma reminded, remaining focused on looking out the window.

“That’s because you said you had to borrow my car!”

“Regina, the whole point of being on a stakeout is to keep the perp from knowing you’re there. My car is yellow. It may not be as big of a deal in town, but along an open stretch of road like this, a yellow car tends to stand out more. We’ll have a much easier time blending in to the shadows and avoiding detection in a darker car. 

“Besides, I might end up needing your help. For all we know, the person who’s been stealing Anton’s beans has magic. As you pointed out yesterday, I still have a lot to learn.”

“Is this your way of saying you still _want_ to learn?” Regina challenged. Emma opened her mouth to reply, but found herself hesitating, remembering exactly who it was who encouraged her to continue learning magic. Did she really want to continue considering his advice, now that she knew he was exactly like everyone else? As she mentally weighed her options, the image of Hook’s face and the expression he’d worn as he praised her magic, floated to the surface of her memories. “Yes,” Emma spoke automatically.

“Yes, I still want to learn.” Even as she said those words, Emma was left wondering why she was agreeing to continue her lessons. Why did she even care about what Hook said anymore? It wasn’t as if he had made any further attempt to apologize for what he did. Since leaving the hospital, the closest she’d come to hearing from him was when she overheard David talking to Mary Margret when he returned to the loft apartment. According to him, Hook hadn’t even tried to defend himself while David had chewed him out. He’d just stood there, staring down at the ground until the tongue-lashing was complete. Then he’d simply turned and walked off without a word. Since then, no one had even mentioned his name in front of her, nor had he made any effort to reach out to her. And when she and Regina had driven through town to reach the bean field, Emma hadn’t even so much as gotten a glimpse of his familiar black leather-clad figure. Not as if she had been looking for it, of course.

 _You miss him_ , a small voice in the back of her mind pointed out.

 _No_ , Emma mentally denied. _I don’t miss him. Why would I?_

_Because you…_

_No, I don’t!_ Forcing back the mental argument, Emma concentrated even harder on scanning the bean field for any sign of movement. For a brief moment, she felt a wave of gratitude towards Tinkerbell for convincing Blue to remove the cloaking spell that had once kept the bean field from being seen from the road. After all, the reason why the cloaking spell had been put up in the first place was to try and keep Cora and Regina from finding out about it. Since Cora was gone and Regina was not their enemy anymore, it really made no sense to keep the bean field hidden.

Emma’s thoughts were once again interrupted by Regina.

“So, just to get things straight,” she began. “We’re out here because this…. _Robin Hood_ was found passed out here.”

“That’s right. And his story suggests that someone may have been stealing the beans from right under our noses to create portals to and from the Enchanted Forest at will. So why not just wait here and see if we can catch our bean thief in the act?”

“Yes, you’ve explained all that before. What you _haven’t_ explained is why we’re trusting the word of a person we know nothing about. How can we be sure that he’s not the one behind this? He _did_ say he was featured on wanted posters. Maybe there’s a reason for it.”

“He wasn’t behind it,” Emma insisted with conviction. “I heard him explain his story myself, and he wasn’t lying.”

“Ah, of course. Your internal lie….”

“Shhhh, they’re here!” Emma interrupted in a loud whisper, suddenly freezing in place, staring at the bean field. Following her gaze, Regina spotted what Emma was looking at almost instantly. There was indeed something moving about in the bean field.

“Well, it looks like your plan _actually_ worked,” Regina commented in a low voice as the two women opened the car doors in unison as carefully as possible. Being mindful to not make any noise, they crept towards the bean field, with Emma slowly drawing her gun and Regina preparing to produce a fireball at a moment’s notice. It was only when they were a few feet away that Emma trained her gun on the figure lurking around.

“Don’t move!” she demanded. Instead of complying, the figure spun around and let out an unearthly shriek. Without hesitation, the figure lunged at Emma, but before Emma could react, Regina threw a fireball at the creature, who was forced to dodge out of the way. However, the fireball provided enough light to briefly illumine the area, giving them a moment to get a good look at their attacker. The creature responded to being seen by baring its jagged teeth at them before spreading a pair of large feathery wings and launching itself into the air. In an attempt to stop the creature from getting away, Regina aimed a second fireball at its retreating form and Emma fired off two shots into the air, aiming in the general direction of where she last saw the creature in the light of Regina’s fireballs. Unfortunately, they quickly lost sight of the creature, who seemingly vanished into the night.

With a loud sigh, Regina started to walk away, lighting her way with another fireball.

“I don’t suppose there’s a spell that gives you night vision,” Emma said, bracing herself for a retort from Regina for the flying creature escaping.

“Of course not,” Regina retorted, the eye-roll evident in her tone. “It’s not as if I fared any better than you did in bringing that thing down. And… it looks like you actually _did_ manage to get at least one good shot in.” Raising her eyebrows in surprise, Emma stepped over to Regina, who was carefully studying the leaf on one of the bean plants. Upon inspecting the bean plant herself, Emma saw there was an unmistakable splatter of fresh blood staining the surface of the leaf.

“Besides,” Regina continued. “While our bean thief did manage to get away, tonight wasn’t a total loss. We managed to get a good look at that creature. I trust you saw what it was?”

“Well… it looked like a flying monkey,” Emma mused. “So…what, we’re dealing with the Wicked Witch of the West?” Emma’s sarcastic smile faded instantly when she noticed the expression on Regina’s face. “Seriously? She’s real, too?”

* * *

The first thing Hook was aware of as the grip of sleep began to wear off was the dull throbbing in his skull. Biting back a groan, he pressed his hand against his still-closed eyes in a vain effort of easing the pressure and blocking out the light of the morning sun, mentally berating himself for reaching this state and wondering exactly how much drink he’d consumed last night. It had been centuries since he’d experienced this level of aftereffect, as he’d long-since developed the ability to hold his rum. In fact, the last time he’d let things get this far was….

With a mournful groan, Hook gave himself a mental shake, trying to beat back the memory of that morning, and the mental image of Liam tearing up his naval commission. Looking for something to get his mind away from that particular memory and the guilt associated with it, he forced himself to open his eyes and take stock of his surroundings. The sight waiting for him immediately brought him to full attention. He was in a well-furnished room he had no conscious memory of, lying on an off-white couch sitting in front of a fireplace. Quickly sitting upright and trying to ignore the sudden wave of dizziness, Hook’s eyes scanned the room, instantly on the alert for any danger. In doing so, he noticed his hook had been removed from its brace and had been left sitting on the marble-top coffee table in front of him. Without hesitation, his hand shot out to reclaim it, snapping it back in place. That was when he heard someone speaking behind him.

“Sorry for taking that off while you were out,” the voice said. “I didn’t want to risk the upholstery.” Turning his head, he saw a man entering the room with a loaded tea tray, complete with a silver tea pot, plain white china teacups, and pieces of dry toast arranged in a toast rack. Wordlessly, the man placed the tea tray on the table in front of Hook and gestured for him to help himself, an offer he gratefully complied to. However, he paused upon seeing two small pills in the bottom of an empty water glass. The man, upon noticing the expression on Hook’s face as he eyed the pills, gave a dry chuckle.

“It’s medicine,” he explained. “Just swallow them whole; it should help with your headache.” Letting out a slight noise of understanding, Hook finally took a moment to really look at the man in front of him. After a few seconds, he realized that the man looked familiar.

“I’ve seen you before,” Hook observed, studying the man closely. “You were in Wonderland. In Cora’s palace.” In response to this, a grimace appeared on the man’s face.

“I prefer not to think about those days, as I wasn’t there by choice, but yes; you and I did see each other briefly back then. Name’s Jefferson. At last we officially meet, Captain Hook. Yes, I know who you are. Your choice of prosthetic is a dead giveaway.”

“I suppose this is the part where you fill me in on how I got here?” Hook asked, now nursing his cup of hot tea.

“You really _were_ in a state last night, weren’t you?” Jefferson stated with a chuckle. “I came across you when I was heading back home after dropping my daughter off at her cursed parents’ place.”

“Cursed parents?” Hook looked up at Jefferson, clearly wondering what he meant by that.

“Let’s just say I can relate to the sheriff in regards to how she has to share custody of her son,” Jefferson explained with a forced smile. “Anyway, you were slumped against a tree along the side of the road as I drove past. From the looks of it, you had been making your way to the town line, but either changed your mind halfway there or were just taking a moment to regain your bearings.” With a low groan, Hook leaned back until his head slumped over the back of the couch. Jefferson’s explanation had lifted some of the fog from his mind, helping him remember enough. He had wound up at the Rabbit Hole when it opened, looking for something to distract himself from the pain of watching Emma walking away without giving him a chance to explain his side of the story, all but directly saying she wanted nothing more to do with him, as well as the memory of her father’s reprimands. At some point, the bartender had cut him off and sent him on his way. He remembered wandering around for a bit, but he couldn’t think of where he could go. There was no way he could go back to Granny’s. Not after what had happened there the night before. And if he went back to the Jolly Roger, he knew he’d just find himself remembering the time he’d spent with Emma on the ship, and his misery would get worse. Eventually, he’d found himself walking towards the town line, thinking that perhaps it would be best if he just left Storybrooke altogether. After all, it wasn’t as if anyone would actually miss him. But the nearer he’d gotten to the town line, the worse the feeling in his gut became. It was if an invisible rope was tied around his waist, tethering him to the town, and the closer he got to the town line, the tighter the rope became. In the end, he realized he couldn’t go through with his initial plan. No matter how much Emma hated him, he just couldn’t bring himself to leave. He couldn’t abandon her like everyone else had. But as to what happened after he’d realized that, he could only draw a blank.

“So, you decided to bring me here, to your house?” Hook asked, seeking clarification to fill in the remaining gaps in his memory.

“I was going to bring you back into town, but you kept muttering that you didn’t want to go back yet. That you didn’t want ‘her’ seeing you in that state.” Jefferson explained. Allowing a momentary silence to fall, he fixed the pirate with a calculating glance. “I take it this has something to do with our blonde sheriff?” At this observation, Hook gave a sudden start, snapping his eyes over at his host. “Don’t look so surprised. My daughter, Grace, goes to school with Henry, so I’ve been able to learn enough of your story through thirdhand report. If the rumors and legends surrounding the name Captain Hook have even some manner of truth to them, you’re not one to stay in one place for too long. The fact that you’ve shown no obvious intention of leaving Storybrooke suggests you have a personal reason to remain. Since Mr. Gold is no longer around, it’s safe to rule out your vendetta against him. Which means you have another incentive to stick around. While this house is a bit off the beaten path, it still offers a prime vantage point of the town. And I’ve seen how you look at her.”

“It matters not how I might feel,” Hook said, averting his eyes. “After what happened last night… I don’t think she’ll ever forgive me.”

“I get the feeling you’re not going to explain what it is you’ve done to warrant her not forgiving you,” Jefferson observed. In response, Hook only tightened his jaw, continuing to avoid eye contact. Not deterred by his silence, Jefferson went on. “There was a time I thought my daughter, Grace, wouldn’t forgive me. Back in the Enchanted Forest, we were poor. Our only income came from selling mushrooms at the market, so we only had just enough money to get by. But I wanted better for her. I wanted her to have everything she could ever wish for. Because of that, I let myself get tricked by Regina, and wound up getting trapped in Wonderland, with no way to return home to Grace. I wasn’t able to reunite with her until after the curse was broken and everyone’s memories were restored. But I was afraid to approach her immediately after the curse broke. I was afraid she wouldn’t forgive me. The last promise I made her before I left on that fateful day was that I’d be back in time for our tea party. But instead? I kept her waiting for years, with her never knowing what happened to me. But, when I finally worked up the courage to face her, she didn’t hesitate to accept me back into her life. She never even brought up how I broke my promise to her.”

“Somehow, I doubt forgiveness for me will be quite so easily won,” Hook mused, taking another sip of tea. “Especially since she won’t even give me the chance to explain.”

“Yes, that does complicate matters, doesn’t it?” Jefferson agreed. “So what do you plan to do?”

“Well, I’m not going to force her to listen,” Hook retorted. “It has to be her choice.”

“You’ll get no argument from me. I learned the hard way that you can’t convince her of anything if she isn’t willing to listen. Not even the truth.”

Hook smiled wiry at Jefferson’s words. While he would have to ask for the story behind that statement sometime, he couldn’t deny its veracity. Emma Swan was indeed a stubborn one. All the same, he knew he couldn’t walk away from her. His inability to cross the town line in his drunken state had proven that. And he knew that it wasn’t just because she had a new unseen enemy lucking around town. Even so, he couldn’t just sit back and do nothing while Emma and her family dealt with whoever was behind the disappearances. But how could he help when Emma had made it clear she didn’t want to see him?

As he became lost in thought, Hook’s gaze scanned the room almost absentmindedly. In doing so, his eyes happened to fall on the sizable number of books stacked haphazardly on the table in front of the bay window. The sight of the disorderly arrangement was instantly at war with his ingrained regimented instincts, and he had to mentally remind himself to not try to go over and organize the books.

Without warning, Hook suddenly leapt to his feet, so quickly that Jefferson started.

“Books! Of course!”

“Did I miss something?” Jefferson asked, looking bemused.

“I know what I have to do,” Hook explained, starting to walk out of the room.

“You know how to get Sheriff Swan to listen to your side?”

“No, we can both agree that only she can convince herself to do that. But that doesn’t mean I can’t still do my part in figuring out how to help with the latest crisis.”

“In that case, allow me to give you a lift back into town,” Jefferson offered. “Just tell me where you plan to go.”

* * *

On the outskirts of town, the flying monkey concluded his labored flight, only just avoiding a crash landing in front of a seemingly deserted farmhouse. Upon landing, the monkey’s right wing immediately flopped to the ground, revealing its damaged state. The two bullets Emma had fired off had both managed to hit their intended target, as the first one had grazed the monkey’s neck, leaving a sizable gash. The other had gone right through the monkey’s right wing, which had made the flight back to the farmhouse long and painful. Many times, the monkey had to take quick breaks to rest, as the pain from the wound made it hard to continue flying. As a result, it had taken all night for the monkey to complete its journey back.

As the monkey began to cradle his injured wing, he sensed rather than saw the figure that materialized in front of him in a cloud of green smoke. Tearing his eyes away from his injury, the monkey looked up into the face of Zelena.

“Well, I suppose that explains why it took you so long to get back,” Zelena commented, gazing down at the monkey’s injured wing. “Did you at least manage to get any beans?” In response to the inquiry, the monkey let out a quick series of screeches, which Zelena seemed to understand. “Ah, so it seems my dear sister has decided to make her first move. About time, too. It was getting tiring keeping to the shadows. Now that she knows we’re here, we can advance to the next stage.” The Monkey replied to this with another loud shriek, cocking his head.

“Of course I’m not mad,” Zelena assured. “We’re simply one step closer at getting my revenge. After all, the Queen may be evil, but I’m wicked. And wicked always wins.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my personal headcannon, I think Killian and Jefferson could be really good friends if they ever got to meet. So I'm looking foward to having them interact. Also, as you've probably seen, this story will contain some elements of the Wizard of Oz arc. Except there's no Lost Year, and therefore none of Emma's 'I'm going to go back to New York' plotline.
> 
> In a related story, I appologize to the readers who actually like Mr. Gold/Rumpelstiltskin, since I'm not changing the part where he died to stop Pan at the end of the Neverland arc. After the events of S5, I just don't think I can bring myself to write him into this story in an unbiased manner. If he's your favorite character, I'm sorry, but just consider me leaving him out as my way of showing respect to the Rumple fanbase.


	4. Connections Being Made

A small trickle of sweat slid down from Belle’s temple as she moved yet another box of seemingly random objects across the room, adding it to the growing pile of things that were waiting to be categorized. Ever since Mr. Gold's death four months ago, Belle had been alternating her time between keeping the town library running and going through the items he’d kept in his shop, trying to figure out the origin of each object so they could be returned to their rightful owners. Neal would occasionally stop by to give her a hand, but most of the time, he was off spending time with Henry. Not that Belle begrudged him of that. Even so, there were times when she would secretly admit that the task she’d assigned herself was a lonely one. Not that she hadn’t been able to form friendships with the other people in town. Ruby would sometimes swing by on her break and keep her company while they had lunch together, and after being talked into attending one of Ruby’s weekly girl’s night outs, she found herself on fairly good terms with Ashley and Mary Margret. Unfortunately, the real problem hadn’t been a lack of human interaction. By going through the various objects in Gold’s shop, she was slowly coming to realize how little she knew her late love. But who could she possibly talk to about it? While nearly everyone in town had their own personal history with Rumpelstiltskin, she doubted anyone had even tried taking the time to actually _know_ him. The only other person in Storybrooke who had been remotely close to him was Neal, but the man he’d known was completely different from the one who Belle had agreed to live with back in the Enchanted Forest.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Belle chose to focus on the task at hand. Turning to a large chest of drawers, she tried to check inside it, only to find that one of the drawers was jammed shut. Not to be deterred, she started working on forcing the stuck drawer open. She was so focused on her task, she didn’t hear the bell above the shop door chiming, signaling someone walking in. A few seconds later, she gave one more tug, putting all her strength into it. All at once, the drawer flew open and Belle immediately fell backwards. As she began to fall, a pair of firm hands flew out and gripped her arms, holding her steady as she regained her footing.

“Thank you,” Belle said as she turned to look at her rescuer, who turned out to be Jefferson.

“Don’t mention it,” he replied, stepping back once he was sure Belle was going to remain standing without his assistance.

“You’ll have to forgive our intrusion,” Hook spoke up, announcing his presence. “But we were hoping you’d grant us access to the library.”

“You…want to use the library?” Belle asked, eyeing him incredulously.

“Yes. You were at the meeting the other day, so you know that people are disappearing. We found out yesterday that the person behind the disappearances might be using magic beans to escape detection. Perhaps there’s something in your library that can help us track down the magic beans that were stolen from Anton’s bean field. If we find the beans, we may find the person who’s been using them.”

“Why come to me, then?” Belle challenged. “You could have just broken in. You’ve done it before, remember? When you tried to kill me?”

“Oh.” Hook blinked in response to this accusation before absentmindedly scratching at his ear. “Well, to be fair, I wasn’t _actually_ trying to kill you. I just figured the best way to trick the crocodile out of his shop would….”

“And what about at the town line?” Belle argued. Once again, Hook appeared taken aback.

“Sorry?” he said sheepishly. “Would you consider this my way of making it up to you?” Belle still didn’t look quite convinced, but she agreed to grant them access to the library. When she stepped away to retrieve her coat and keys from the back room, Jefferson turned to Hook.

“Not one for apologies, are you?” he asked.

“It’s not something I do quite often,” Hook admitted. “One gets out of the habit.”

“And what exactly did you do to her at the town line?”

“I….might have forced her over the town line so she’d lose her memories. I thought it was the best way to get revenge on Rumpelstiltskin for murdering my first love. I suppose it wasn’t my finest moment.” Jefferson paused for a moment before he replied, as if considering what he was just told.

“Well, I’m not one to judge,” he said. “I once held Sheriff Swan at gunpoint to force her to make me a new magic hat, so I could reunite with my daughter. Of course, she didn’t exactly cooperate with me. She hit me over the head with my telescope, instead.”

“Oh, yes. That sounds like Swan, alright,” Hook chuckled.

* * *

“The Wicked Witch? Are you sure?” Neal gaped, looking between Emma and Regina.

By the time Emma and Regina had made it back into town after their stakeout at the bean field, it had been pretty late, so it was decided that they would wait until the morning to explain what they’d find out. Of course, right when they’d started trying to explain things to David and Mary Margret at the loft apartment, Neal had chosen that moment to stop by to drop off Henry. Realizing there was no way to casually send them away again in an attempt to potentially keep Henry out of a dangerous situation, Emma had reluctantly opted to allow them to be present. Regina hadn’t been too happy about it, but Mary Margret had spoken up in defense of Emma’s decision, recalling what had happened when Granny Lucas had tried to shield Red from the truth about her identity as a werewolf. In the end, Regina had also relented, albeit begrudgingly.

“Well, there are certainly flying monkeys on the loose,” Regina commented. “All signs are certainly pointing in that direction.”

“But why would she be trying to go after us?” Mary Margret asked. “I hadn’t even realized Oz was a real place.”

“Maybe it’s not us the Wicked Witch has a problem with,” David suggested. “Regina, is there anything _you_ might have done to anger her?”

“I haven’t done _anything_ to her,” Regina huffed. “I’ve never even met her.” “

So this isn’t a personal vendetta?”

“Okay, we’re not going to solve anything arguing amongst ourselves,” Emma cut in, trying to maintain the peace. “Let’s just focus on how we’re going to find the Wicked Witch and figure out what she’s done to the missing people.”

“And how do you expect we do that?”

“Well, what do we know so far? We know the Wicked Witch is most likely the one behind the disappearances, and that she’s been using the magic beans to travel back and forth between Storybrooke and the Enchanted Forest. But we have no way of figuring out where the missing people are being held, let alone where the Wicked Witch is currently hiding. Maybe it would be a good idea to stop by the library. Maybe there will be something there that could help figure out what to do next. Or maybe there’s something about the Wicked Witch that would help shed some light on what she’s after.”

“Well, if you want to waste your time reading books, then you go right ahead.” Regina said. “I’m going to go out and actually do something constructive. Now that I know who we’re up against, I ’m going to scour the town limits for any trace of magic.”

“Okay,” Emma agreed. “Just be careful.”

“I’ll get my book!” Henry announced, running upstairs as Regina left. “I remember seeing something in there about flying monkeys, so maybe there’s something about the Wicked Witch in there.”

“Hey, Emma?” Neal said once Henry was out of earshot. “Can we have a word?”

“If this is about me learning magic…”

“No, it’s not about that,” Neal explained quickly. “It’s about Henry.” Emma’s defensive expression vanished instantly and she agreed to speak with him out in the hall. As they stepped out of the apartment, David was alerted by Mary Margret’s soft moan. Turning, he saw her sitting at the counter, holding her head in her hands in an obvious sign of distress.

“Hey, it’s okay,” David reassured her quickly, crossing the room to her side in an instant. “We’ll figure out how to deal with this. We always do. After King George, Regina, Cora, and Pan, not to mention Medusa? The Wicked Witch should be no problem.”

“It’s not that, David,” Mary Margret sighed, shaking her head. “It’s just the _timing_ of it all. Why did this have to happen _now_? Whatever the Wicked Witch is after, why couldn’t she have waited a bit longer? After those four months of peace, I thought we could _finally_ have the chance to move forward with our lives. I wanted the chance to announce our news without another threat hanging over our heads. But now? I’m afraid to tell people about it.”

“I know,” David consoled, pulling her into a gentle hug. “It’s okay. We don’t have to make any sort of announcement just yet. We can wait until the Wicked Witch is defeated.”

* * *

“So, what do you want to talk about?” Emma asked once she and Neal were outside.

“I’m just thinking,” Neal said. “We’ve now got the Wicked Witch out there, doing who knows what. And you might as well admit that no one knows what to do about it. Maybe it would be a good idea to get Henry out of Storybrooke. Just until this all blows over. I could take him back to New York with me. There were still a lot of places I wanted to show him back there, but I never got the chance, since we had to hurry back to Storybrooke after my father got poisoned.” Emma frowned slightly as she considered Neal’s offer. She could understand Neal’s urgency to make sure Henry was out of harm’s way. There was no telling what would happen to him with flying monkeys and the Wicked Witch on the loose. At the same time, she hadn’t quite forgotten what happened the last time they’d considered sending Henry away from Storybrooke, back when Cora was a serious threat.

“Thank you for offering, Neal,” Emma finally replied. “But right now, all I can do is promise I’ll think about it.”

* * *

Across town at the library, Jefferson was hunched over a table, flipping through a particularly large tome. He could hear Belle and Hook a few rows down from where he was standing as they went about gathering up more books to search through.

“Watch the cover on that one.”

“Dealing with a hook, here.”

“Hmmm,” Jefferson muttered to himself. It was then that he realized he was actually smiling. He could not remember the last time he’d had a genuine smile on his face, apart from when his daughter was involved. He started to wonder if this was what it was like to have actual friends. He’d been living in isolation for so long, he’d almost completely forgotten how it felt to interact with other people. If his unexpected smile was any indication, he was actually _liking_ spending this time with Belle and Hook. It almost shocked him how easy he found it.

His thoughts were interrupted by the feel of someone resting a hand against his arm. Upon turning to see who it was, he found himself standing face to face with Belle.

“I just realized,” she announced. “I never got the chance to thank you.”

“For what, exactly?” Jefferson asked, seemingly wary.

“For freeing me from the psychiatric ward. Right before the curse broke. If it hadn’t been for you, I might still be there. So, thank you.”

“Ah, you remembered that, did you?”

“Of course, I remember. Not including the nurse who would deliver my food and escort me to the bathroom twice a day, yours was the only face I remember seeing during the years the curse was in effect. I didn’t get any visitors until the day you appeared and set me free.”

“Yes, spending 28 years without any form of company is quite the ordeal,” Jefferson agreed. “I can appreciate that all too well.”

“You can?”

“When Regina created Storybrooke, I gained false memories, the same as everyone else. But Regina, for reasons I’ve never quite figured out despite having my suspicions, made it so I’d also remember who I really was. Imagine spending 28 years with two different lives warring against each other in your mind, without having anyone to commiserate with. It’s just you, trapped in a town where you’re the only one who remembers the truth. You can’t tell anyone, because they’ll just think you’re crazy. After a while, even you start to question your own sanity. Is that other life you remember even real, or was it purely the invention of your troubled mind? But how could your memories of the life you lived in the Enchanted Forest be imagined when you remember an entire lifetime in some other world?” A very pregnant pause arose as Jefferson finished speaking, but he still continued to stare straight ahead with an expression that suggested his thoughts were a million miles away. Belle could only gape at him in shock and amazement. Had this man really had to endure that for nearly three decades?

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I can’t imagine what that must have been like. But….at least you had memories that you could revisit. I couldn’t remember _anything_ before the curse broke. No memories of my childhood, either real or fake. No memory of any family or friends. All I could remember was a life inside that cell. There was _nothing_ before that.” Very slowly, Jefferson turned to meet Belle’s eyes, giving her a strained smile of understanding and compassion.

“I suppose we’ve _both_ suffered in our own way during those 28 years,” he observed.

Once again a comfortable silence fell between them as they returned to skimming through the books laid out in front of them. It was Jefferson who broke the silence this time.

“For the record, I was sorry to hear about Mr. Gold’s death,” he said. “I admit, I never thought I’d see the day when Rumpelstiltskin of all people would actually fall in love, let alone give up his own life to keep her alive.”

“Did you know him?” Belle asked, her eyes suddenly wide.

“In a way,” Jefferson admitted. “There was a time when he and I were….not exactly friends, but we certainly worked together for a while. I was a thief with a magic hat that allowed me to travel to other realms, and he was highly interested in obtaining objects from those other realms. I’m sure you can figure out the rest. But we parted ways after my wife, Priscilla, gave birth to our daughter. I was no longer willing to continue my life as a portal-jumper. We had Grace to think about, now. So I put away my magic hat for what I intended to be for good. I suppose after that, Rumpelstiltskin decided he could no longer benefit from me, and our semi-partnership came to an end.” Nodding in understanding, Belle turned back to the books, wiping away a sudden tear.

“I just wish…we had been able to have a real funeral for him,” she confessed. “We couldn’t even bury his body.”

“Yeah, I know how you feel,” Jefferson agreed with a heavy sigh. “I was never able to make sure Priscilla got a proper burial, either.”

“Your wife?” Belle gasped, looking up at him in shock and horror. “She’s…?”

“Yes. It was my carelessness that caused it. When Grace was only two, we found ourselves short on money. I was so desperate to provide for our small family that I once again ventured into another realm with the intention of stealing a valuable item and selling it back in the Enchanted Forest. But I didn’t get the item I was after. Instead, I was captured and held prisoner. Priscilla had to come to Wonderland after me in order to rescue me, but when we were trying to escape, she was struck down by an arrow. With her last breath, she told me to leave her behind and return home to Grace. I…I had to leave her body behind, or our daughter would have lost _both_ her parents that day. To this day, I don’t know what happened to Priscilla’s body. I probably never will.” Once again, Belle could only stare in dismay over what she’d just heard. Then, ever so slowly, she once again reached out to place her hand over his in a gesture of sympathy and understanding.

“I know I said it already,” she said. “But I’m sorry. I truly am sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you,” Jefferson replied, giving her an awkward smile of gratitude. For a brief moment, they simply stood in silence, but then Jefferson cleared his throat, feeling awkward. It had just occurred to him that this was the longest conversation he’d had with anyone since Storybrooke had been created.

“I’m going to make some tea,” he announced. “It might help us focus a bit more.”

“That sounds nice,” Belle said. “I do like tea. There’s a coffee corner located near the reception desk. You should find what you need there.” Jefferson merely jerked his head once in what appeared to be an attempt as a nod and then slipped to the next room over to search for the library’s coffee corner.

* * *

Regina made her way through the woods surrounding Storybrooke, occasionally testing the air for any sign of unfamiliar magic. Unfortunately, while she occasionally sensed a trace of it, she could tell that it was just the residual energy of fairy magic, or ambient radiation from the diamonds growing in the mines below.

Out of nowhere, she heard the sound of a branch snapping behind her. Instantly on the alert, she spun towards the sound, getting a fireball ready to launch at the first sign of a flying monkey.

“Show yourself, you winged freak,” she ordered. The moment she was done speaking, she saw a figure step out from behind a tree. In a knee-jerk reaction, Regina threw her fireball at the figure, who dodged just in time before responding by shooting an arrow at her, which she caught effortlessly. A stifling silence filled the air as the two stared each other down.

“Apologies, milady,” Robin finally said. “I thought you were someone else.”

“And I thought you were a flying monkey,” Regina replied, tossing the arrow aside.

“I do hope my mistake hasn't cost me my head, Your Majesty.”

“So, you know who I am.”

“Your reputation in the Enchanted Forest precedes you.”

“I didn't catch _your_ name."

“Robin of Locksley at your service.”

“Ah, the vagrant that was found in the bean field,” Regina observed. “What exactly are you doing out here?”

“Probably the same thing you’re doing. My son is still out there somewhere. He was taken by that winged monstrosity. I might have agreed to wait until your staff of healers made sure I was unharmed when I was brought here, but the moment they said I was free to go, I wasn’t about to wait a moment longer before coming out to find him.”

“Oh. Yes, Emma and the Uncharmings did say something about your son,” Regina recollected. “Even so, do you really think you can bring the Wicked Witch down with sticks?”

“Well, I’m certainly going to try,” Robin responded, instantly on the defensive. “If it was _your_ son out there, wouldn’t you do whatever you could to find him?” At these words, Regina’s face twisted in a sense of empathy, her mind going back to how she felt when Henry was kidnapped and taken to Neverland. Robin, taking Regina’s silence as his cue to leave, started to walk off further into the woods.

“Wait!” Regina called after him. “Perhaps…we can help each other.”

“How?” Robin asked, turning to look back at her.

“You’re looking for your son,” Regina explained. “And if he was taken by a flying monkey, chances are he’s being kept wherever the Wicked Witch is hiding. So, if we find your son, we might be able to find the Wicked Witch’s hiding spot. Therefore, we’ll both get what we want.”

“While I don’t find a flaw in your logic, it does largely depend on the matter of finding Roland.”

“And, with my help, you might be able too. I can create a potion back at my vault which could help lead us both to where your son…Roland, was it? Well, a locator spell should lead us right to him. All we’d need is something that belonged to him.”

“Would this do?” Robin offered, reaching into his bag and pulling out a wooden spinning top. “It’s Roland’s favorite toy. My wife carved it for him while she was pregnant.”

“Yes, I believe that would work nicely,” Regina agreed.

* * *

Within the storm cellar located just behind the abandoned farmhouse, a legion of flying monkeys was congregated, shifting around in wait for nightfall to arrive again. Occasionally, one of the monkeys would let out a piercing screech in an attempt to let out its frustration. All the monkeys present were eager for the chance to get out and spread their wings, but Zelena had made it clear that, to avoid widespread detection, no one was allowed to set foot outside before sundown. At least, not until she had the chance to actually confront Regina face-to-face. So the flying monkeys continued to sit and wait. None of them paid any attention to the small, trembling boy in the large cage at the back of the storm cellar, pressed up against farthest corner in an obvious attempt at keeping as far away from the monkeys as possible. Occasionally, Roland managed to chance a look at the flying monkeys that surrounded his cage, but each time he caught a glimpse of the sharp teeth or glowing red eyes, he would immediately shield his eyes again in fright.

“Papa,” Roland whimpered silently, tears making their way down his cheeks. “Papa, where are you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, I'm not getting any joy in putting precious little Roland through this. I can promise, however, that this is the worst he'll have to endure in this story.
> 
> On a personal note, I really enjoyed writing the interaction between Jefferson and Belle in this chapter. While the actual show never really touches on it, which is probably to be expected given how much material has to be covered in each story arc, I tend to wonder how much psychological damage these two suffered because of the curse. I imagine that could have been a significant bonding factor between them, if Jefferson had became a series regular. Also, if anyone is wondering, the backstory Jefferson talked about in regards to his wife was taken from the Once Upon a Time Graphic Novel. Not sure how much of the graphic novels should be considered canon, but the information is listed on the OUAT wiki page. So, it probably counts.


	5. Puzzle Pieces

Hook, Jefferson and Belle were all deeply focused on scouring through the small mountain of books they’d gathered up when they heard the front door opening. In unison, they all glanced up to see Emma walk in, followed closely by Mary Margret, David, Henry and Neal. The instant Emma noticed Hook standing there, she stopped short, staring at him. She had not expected to see him here, so she hadn’t been able to prepare herself for the shock. Not to mention the sudden wave of turmoil deep in the pit of her chest. No doubt because this had been the first time she’d seen him since the confrontation at the hospital yesterday. And, if the look on his face was any indication, Hook was also aware of the same thing.

Henry, however, showed no indication he noticed the sudden tension.

“Hi, Hook!” he greeted cheerfully.

“Hello there, lad,” Hook replied, briefly tearing his eyes away from Emma to give the boy an effortless smile.

“And you’re here, too, Jefferson? I’m glad you found your daughter.”

“What are you two doing here?” Mary Margret asked, looking between the two men.

“They’ve been helping me find information about what might have happened to the missing people,” Belle explained.

“Really?” Neal said, unable to hold back a chuckle. “Captain Hook and the Mad Hatter hitting the books?”

“I’m surprisingly good at research,” Hook responded with a casual shrug. But his grin faded when he noticed the look Emma was still giving him.

“Did you find anything about the flying monkeys?” Henry asked eagerly.

“Flying monkeys?”

“Oh, that’s right, you wouldn’t have heard. My moms did a stakeout at the bean field last night to see if they could find out who was stealing the magic beans. They ended up driving out a flying monkey, but that’s how we figured out it was the Wicked Witch of the West.”

“Wait, you’re talking about _Zelena_?” Jefferson inquired. “Is _that_ who we’re dealing with?”

“Is there something you know that we don’t?” David challenged.

“I was a portal jumper before you destroyed my hat, remember? Oz was one of the many lands I’ve traveled to. So naturally, I had a brief run-in with her. She nearly lit me on fire when I tried to steal the crystal ball Rumpelstiltskin sent me to obtain. You don’t easily forget something like that.”

“So, what can you tell us about this Zelena? Do you know why she’s targeting us?”

“In that regard, I probably know just as much as you do.”

As this conversation was going on, Emma and Hook were completely silent, simply staring at each other. After a nonverbal stand-off, Emma’s unreadable expression shifted into a challenging glare as she stalked out of the room. Hook barely was able to hold back his grimace. He knew that look never preceded anything good, but he still turned and went after her. The moment she felt that they were out of earshot, Emma rounded on him.

“I know what this is,” she nearly growled.

“Sorry?” Hook responded, looking back at her.

“Trying to be helpful so I’ll forgive you.”

“I assure you, I’m here because I want to help,” Hook insisted. “I have no clandestine motives.”

“You expect me to believe that?” In response to this, Hook raised an eyebrow.

“You don’t believe me? Try using your superpower.”

“Wait, what?” Emma gaped, nearly taking a step back. Whatever response she had been expecting, it certainly wasn’t _that_.

“Use it,” Hook persisted. “See that I’m telling the truth.” Narrowing her eyes in suspicion, Emma focused on clearing her mind as she studied him closely, searching for the slightest hint of deception. To her chagrin, she saw nothing but honesty reflected back at her.

“Fine,” she relented at last. “You want to help? Go right ahead. But don’t think this changes anything.”

“No,” Hook agreed, bowing his head in defeat. “I suppose it won’t.”

With a barely noticeable shake of her head, Emma turned to head back to rejoin the others, but she stopped in mid-step upon hearing Hook speak up again.

“For whatever it’s worth, Swan,” he said. “I _am_ sorry.” Emma lightly bit her lower lip, feeling a sudden urge to turn back, but she was able to reign it in. She returned to the main room of the library to find everyone had already joined in helping search through Belle’s books. Turning a deaf ear to the sound of Hook shuffling in after her, Emma picked up one of the books and began flipping through it. As she began to read, someone placed a hot cup of tea in front of her. Glancing up, she saw Jefferson had been the one serving the tea.

“Thank you,” Emma said absentmindedly. However, when the cup was halfway up to her lips, she froze and gave him a calculating stare. Upon noticing this, Jefferson gave her a wry smile.

“Don’t worry,” he reassured. “It’s not drugged this time.”

* * *

Robin and Regina made their way through the woods, watching the progress of the floating spinning top as it skated past a multitude of trees.

“So, what exactly happened to Roland’s mother?” Regina asked.

“After our son was born, I inadvertently placed her in harm’s way while I was off on a job.”

“Oh, of course. Your stealing from the rich to give to the poor mantra.”

“When you steal for yourself, that makes you a thief. But when you steal for someone else, that makes you a hero,” Robin retorted. “Anyway, we agreed to meet up at a nearby village when my job was done. But when I made it to the rendezvous spot, there was no sign of her. I tried asking around, but everyone insisted they didn’t know anything. I never found out what happened to her. I suspected our enemies back in Nottingham were involved, but I was never able to know for sure. All I know is, if I hadn’t gone out on that job, she would still be alive.”

“You said she just didn’t show up,” Regina pointed out. “That doesn’t necessarily mean she’s dead.”

“I know… _knew_ …Marian,” Robin replied. “If she was still alive, she would have found a way to return to us. She wouldn’t have just vanished like that. Not unless it was against her will. Especially since Roland hadn’t been fully weaned yet.”  

“I’m sorry,” Regina said, glancing away. It took her a few seconds to realize she actually meant that ‘ _sorry_ ’.

The pair continued to follow after Roland’s spinning top, but they were now staying quiet, listening for any out-of-place sounds that would indicate they were being followed or about to be ambushed. It wasn’t until the top left the safety of the trees and glided into a wide-open clearing that they took their eyes off of it. Even then, it was merely to share a brief look before pressing onward. They continued to follow the top up a steep hill where a deserted-looking farmhouse came into view. As they watched, the top slowly floated past the farmhouse before coming to rest on the closed doors of a storm cellar, which was padlocked shut.

“Does that mean…” Robin asked, looking from the top to Regina.

“I believe so,” Regina confirmed. “It certainly _looks_ like that’s where Roland is.” Without further hesitation, Robin strode forward, notching an arrow and preparing to shoot as he walked. Before he could even take five steps, Regina waved a hand, freezing his feet to the ground.

“What are you doing?” Robin cried out, glaring back at her. “My son….”

“I realize that, and I don’t blame you for wanting to get him back as soon as possible,” Regina responded. “When Henry was abducted and being held prisoner by Pan, I wanted to get him back as soon as possible, and I was frustrated every time Emma and the others even _suggested_ taking a moment to rest or strategize. But perhaps you should let _me_ go first. Just because we can’t see her, it doesn’t mean the Wicked Witch isn’t keeping watch, waiting for someone to come charging in.” Robin still looked disgruntled, but he reluctantly gave a nod of agreement, allowing Regina to take the lead.

When they reached the doors to the storm cellar, Regina took a moment to examine the padlock before magically opening it.

“Now,” Regina instructed, keeping her voice down. “We have no way of knowing what’s down here. Your son might be being guarded, so when I open this door, we should expect something to attack us.”

“Regina,” Robin huffed. “If you _really_ want me to be on my guard, perhaps you stop trying to magically restrain me and allow me to move?”

“What?” Regina looked back at him in confusion. “What are you talking about? I’m not doing anything to you.”

“No, but _I am_ ,” a new voice called out. Regina immediately was on her feet, staring at the woman making her way off the porch of the farmhouse and walking towards them.

“So, _you’re_ the Wicked Witch?” Regina surmised, sizing up her opponent.

“Please, you can call me Zelena.”

“Hope you’re not expecting me to say that it’s a pleasure to meet you. What exactly are you doing in Storybrooke?” The smile on Zelena’s face fell ever-so-slightly, but she maintained her proud stance.

“You really don’t know who I am, do you?”

“I know _exactly_ who you are. The Wicked Witch.”

“Is that all? Cora really never told you about me?” This time, the hurt on Zelena’s face was a bit more pronounced.

“Told me what? And how did you know my mother?” Regina demanded

“Same way you do,” Zelena snapped. “I’m your sister. Actually, half-sister. But, details, details.”

“What?” Regina could only stare at Zelena in shock and confusion. Her sister? She had a _sister_? “How is that possible?”

"Cora had me first,” Zelena explained. “Before she found her way into the dregs of royalty. Our mother gave me up and sent me away. But _you_? You, she kept. You, she gave everything.” Regina couldn’t help but roll her eyes at that accusation.

“Everything _she_ wanted. If what you’re saying is true, then you were lucky to escape her.”

“Enough of the martyr complex, Regina. Try growing up without a mother. Try living in Oz. Knowing that no one thought you were good enough. Not your mother. And not the only man that our paths both crossed. Rumplestiltskin.”

“ _You_ knew Rumplestiltskin?”

“Did you think you were his only student?”

“Let me guess. You’re mad because he chose me to cast his curse. Well, _get over it_.”

“I hate to interrupt the family reunion,” Robin spoke up, reminding the two women of his presence. “But there’s the matter of my son. He was taken away by one of _your_ winged monkeys.”

“Oh, of course,” Zelena mused. “The little one. Such a sweet child.”

“Give him back!” Robin demanded, trying to fight against the spell Zelena had placed over his feet as he aimed his arrow at her. “Give me back my son!”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” Zelena shrugged. “Oh, don’t worry; he’s completely unharmed.”

“Then what’s the point in keeping him?” Regina asked.

“Sorry, Sis, but there’s something I need the boy for. And when I’m done, you’ll have lost everything that matters.” Without another word, Zelena stepped back and waved her arm. Instantly, Regina and Robin were both encased in a cloud of green smoke. When the smoke cleared, they had vanished.

* * *

At the town library, it had been unanimously decided to take a quick lunch break. Everyone had been experiencing the initial pangs of hunger, but they’d all tried to ignore them until Henry announced that he was hungry. As everyone was starting to step out to walk down the street to Granny’s, Henry looked back to see Jefferson and Hook hadn’t moved.

“Hey, don’t you want to come, too?” he asked, turning back around. Instantly, the two men looked taken aback at the boy’s question.

“Actually, I think I’ll help Belle straighten up a bit, first,” Jefferson explained, looking like he was feeling a bit awkward about something. Satisfied with that explanation, Henry directed his gaze on Hook, who seemed to be more interested in the floor tiles.

“I appreciate the invite, young sir,” he eventually replied. “But…I’m not sure I’d be welcome.”

“Why wouldn’t you?” Henry questioned, looking from Hook to his family.

“Henry, it’s…it’s a bit complicated,” Emma said, trying to figure out how to explain things to her 11-year-old son.

"But he’s one of us,” Henry pointed out. “He helped bring all of you to Neverland. He saved Grandpa from the Dreamshade.”

“It’s okay, lad,” Hook said with forced smile. “I’ll still be around to help out whenever you need me. You go enjoy your lunch.” Without another word, he stepped around everyone and left the library. If he was aware that Emma’s eyes were trained on him as he stepped out through the door, he showed no indication of it. The moment he was out on the street, however, a voice cried out, calling out to him.

“Captain! CAPTAIN!” Immediately, Hook’s head snapped over in the direction of the voice, seeing Smee hurrying over, moving as quickly as he could. He had to admit he had been relieved to see his first mate had been returned to his true state after Mr. Gold had died. It had seemed that his death had reversed nearly every spell that he’d cast. Although, Smee still claimed to have the occasional dream about cheese.

“Calm down, Mr. Smee,” Hook instructed once Smee had reached him. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Emma and the others had also stepped outside, having heard Smee shouting. “What seems to be the trouble?”

“Sir, it’s Starkey!” Smee explained, fighting to catch his breath. “He…he’s turned up!”

“Starkey?” Hook exclaimed, instantly on the alert. “Where is he?” For a brief moment, Emma was sure she saw Hook cast a glance in her direction, but he turned back to Smee far too quickly for her to confirm that.

“He stumbled onto the deck of the Jolly Roger about two minutes ago and just collapsed. Bill Jukes and Robert Mullins are with him, but I left to find you.” Upon hearing that, Hook immediately took off running towards the Jolly Roger with Smee on his heels. With little hesitation, Emma, David, Mary Margret, Neal, Henry, Belle and Jefferson followed, visibly curious and concerned.

“Who’s Starkey?” Belle called after Hook and Smee.

“A member of my crew,” Hook explained over his shoulder. “He was added to the list of people who went missing yesterday.”

Before long, the group reached the Jolly Roger, where they found Starkey lying unconscious on his back, with Bill and Robert crouching next to him. Both men moved aside when Hook stepped foot on deck.

“Starkey!” Hook spoke urgently, kneeling next to the unresponsive man and slapping at his cheeks in an attempt to wake him up. “Starkey, wake up, mate!” When Starkey still showed no sign of movement, Hook turned to address the other two men. “What happened? Tell me everything!”

“We were making plans for careening the ship when Starkey suddenly appeared,” Robert explained. “He was in a bad way, staggering up the gangway and clutching at his arm. He also seemed to be dragging his leg. The moment he set foot on deck, he asked for you. But then, he just collapsed. We’ve been trying to revive him, but nothing seems to work.”

“Captain, his arm,” Bill spoke up. “It looks like he was bitten by something.” Immediately, Hook glanced at the arm in question to examine the wound.

“I’ve never seen a bite like that before,” he mused.

“Neither have I,” David agreed. “Hold on; I’m calling for an ambulance. Maybe Dr. Whale can….” Before David could finish his thought, Starkey began to convulse violently.

“Quick, hold him down,” Hook instructed, grabbing onto Starkey’s unwounded arm. Robert, David and Neal all stepped forward to assist him, but the moment the four men had taken hold of Starkey’s limbs, his shaking became even more agitated. Out of nowhere, a long prehensile tail shot out from beneath the man, knocking everyone within its reach to the ground. When everyone turned to look back at Starkey, they could only watch in horrified amazement as the pirate turned into a flying monkey before their eyes. The monkey that had once been Starkey glared back at everyone before spreading his wings and flying off, letting out an earsplitting shriek as he went. “

Okay, I didn’t see that one coming,” David said, breaking the shocked silence.

* * *

Across town, Regina and Robin rematerialized outside Regina’s mansion. Immediately, Robin was on the warpath.

“We were _so close_!” he cried. “My son is….”

“I know,” Regina nodded. “This isn’t over; we’ll get him back.”

“But what could she be planning to do with him? What does Roland have to do with her grievance with you?”

“I don’t know. But I’m going to find out,” Regina vowed. “She invaded my space. When I return the favor, I'm not pulling any punches.”

Before Robin could reply to that, Regina’s cell phone began to ring. Glancing down at the caller ID, she saw that it was Emma calling.

“Miss Swan, this isn’t the…..” Regina trailed off as she heard what Emma was saying, her eyes widening in surprise. “Could you say that again?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really struggled at getting this chapter written. It can get a bit annoying going back and forth to make sure the dialogue in certain scenes reflects what actually happened in canon. This was especially true with Regina's first encounter with Zelena. While Zelena was a rather formidable villain in the Wizard of Oz arc, she did get on my nerves a bit. But now that I got that scene out of the way, the rest of the story should be easy to write.
> 
> However, it was a bit fun to introduce some members of Hook/Killian's crew. While it was implied a good chunk of the crew died in Neverland, I have a hard time believing Smee was the only surviving crew member from those days. There must have been others who lived as well.


	6. The Séance

“So, you’re saying that everyone who has disappeared in this town has turned into a flying monkey?” Regina gaped, summing up what she’d just been told. Deciding it would be easier to explain everything in person, Emma and Regina had agreed to meet up at Granny’s, where both parties proceeded to fill each other in on what they’d learned.

“It would explain why there hasn’t been any sign of the missing people,” Mary Margret pointed out.

“Do you think that’s what she’s done to Roland?” Robin asked, clearly afraid to hear the answer.

“No, I don’t think that’s what Zelena plans to do,” Regina reassured. “But that leaves the question of what she _is_ planning to do.”

“Well, if you have any ideas as to how to figure it out, we’d be glad to hear them,” David said. “I’m still trying to get over the fact that you have a sister.”

“A half-sister,” Regina pointed out. “One who apparently has it out for me because our mother abandoned her, but kept me. Or, so she claims”

“But why you?” Belle asked. “If your mother was the one who gave Zelena up, how would that be _your_ fault? You said yourself, you weren’t even aware you had a sister before today.”

“That’s the thing about vengeance,” Hook pointed out. “It can drastically alter your perception, making it hard for you to grasp simple truths.”

“Still, this does leave us with a problem,” Emma said. “Zelena’s angry because Cora gave her up. I understand how she feels. I spent a long time feeling the same thing. But that was before I found out _why_ I was given up.” Emma turned to look at David and Mary Margret before continuing. “I understand that you didn’t have much of a choice, and that you were trying to do what you felt was best for me. But in Zelena’s case, we have no way of knowing exactly what happened. We don’t know _why_ Cora gave her up. The only one who _would_ know the whole story would be Cora. And we can’t exactly ask her, can we?”

“Actually…we can,” Regina replied. “There might be a way we can contact my mother.”

“You have an Ouija board in the back of your closet?” Neal asked, nudging Emma’s arm in an attempt to get her to laugh at his joke. However, Emma did not humor his attempt, and all he got was a withering glance from Regina.

“I can conduct a séance back at my mansion. If it works, we would be able to contact my mother’s spirit from the other side, allowing us to ask her what she can tell us about Zelena, and why she gave her up. Of course, I’ll need time to prepare everything. And for it to work, I’m probably going to need the bookworm’s help.”

“Me?” Belle said, taken aback. “What would you need my help for?”

“For the séance to work, I’m going to need a specific item. Something that Gold probably stored in his shop,” Regina explained. “Since you were the one who spent the last four months going through the objects Gold kept, you’d probably have the best idea of where the object I need is.”

“What is it that you’re looking for?”

“The candle. The enchanted two sided candle.”

“But its power is gone now,” Belle pointed out. “It’s just a relic.”

“I know,” Regina replied. “But its presence is the key to the ritual being successful. There’s a reason why people don’t make the attempt to contact the dead that often. To do it, you need the murder weapon. And, well, the murderer.” In an immediate response to these words, Mary Margret shifted uncomfortably, a look of guilt appearing on her face. Noticing this, David wrapped an arm around her shoulder in an attempt to console her.

“While Regina’s getting things ready,” Emma spoke up in an attempt to diffuse the uneasiness in the air, “we should let the town know what’s been happening. Tell everyone to be on their guard, and if they have to go out, they should remain in a group. We don’t want anyone else being attacked and turned into a flying monkey.”

“I’ll go tell Leroy,” David volunteered, still rubbing his wife’s arm. “If anyone can spread the word fast enough, it’ll be him.”

As everyone continued to make plans, Emma noticed Hook silently slipping away from the group, making his way towards the back room of Granny’s where Smee, Bill and Robert had been loitering around. Seconds later, she found herself walking after them, despite having no memory of making a conscious decision to do so. When she made it outside into the small alleyway behind the diner, she quickly caught sight of Hook and his three crewmates, who had nearly made it to the street.

“Hook!” Emma called after him. Without hesitation, Hook turned to look back at her. After a brief pause in which he simply stared at her with a multitude of emotions on his face, he glanced back at his fellow pirates to say a few words to them. Even though Emma hadn’t been able to overhear exactly what he was saying, she gathered he must have been telling them to wait there, as they stood by while Hook walked back towards her.

“Is there something you wanted, Swan?” he asked once he was close enough.

“I… I just wanted to know where you were heading off to. With the flying monkeys on the loose…”

“I’m well aware about the winged simians,” Hook interrupted with a tone Emma hadn’t heard from him in quite a while. Not since their adventure on the beanstalk. “I was there when Starkey transformed, remember?”

“I’m sorry,” Emma apologized, suddenly feeling awkward. “I suppose it _was_ a shock to see that happen to a member of your crew.”

“Aye, it _was_. So Smee, Robert, Bill and I are going to go scour through the woods. See if we can find him. He might have made it to Zelena’s farmhouse by now, but we still need to try. And, perhaps we can kill two birds with one stone. While Dave is planning to have the dwarf spread the word in town, there are a few people who live in the outskirts of Storybrooke. Someone has to warn them, too.”

“I’m not saying that’s not a good idea,” Emma said. “But I don’t think a lot of people will…”

“What, heed a warning from a bunch of _pirates_ knocking on their door?” Hook fired back. “I’m _well aware_ of how the town might see us, Swan. Which is why I’ll be asking Tink if she’d be able to convince some of the other fairies to accompany us. I trust the town will be more receptive to us with a fairy or two present.” A wide-eyed Emma stepped back, visibly taken aback by his harsh tone. Upon seeing her reaction, Hook’s face softened instantly.

“Forgive my rudeness,” he muttered contritely. “I simply don’t want to see someone else meet the same fate as Starkey. Not if I can do something to prevent it.”

“I didn’t realize you cared about your crew this much,” Emma admitted. At these words, a distant look appeared on Hook’s face, and he glanced off at a spot above Emma’s shoulder, unable to quite meet her eyes.

“Starkey…wasn’t just another member of my crew,” he admitted after a pregnant pause. “Mr. Smee might be my first mate, but Starkey…. he was with me the longest. Apart from me, he’s the only one left from that first voyage into Neverland.”

Emma could only stare at Hook in shock of what he’d just revealed. If Hook was telling the truth in saying he and Starkey were the only ones left from the original crew of that ill-fated journey into Neverland, when that nameless, faceless king had tasked them to collect the highly poisonous Dreamshade, then… Starkey had originally served under Hook’s brother, Liam. And that meant he had been the only man left among Hook’s crew who had actually _known_ Liam.

Hook, seeming to think he said too much, turned to rejoin his crew.

“Hook?” Emma called after him once again. “Be careful, okay? Zelena is out there. We don’t know what she’s capable of yet.” Upon hearing that request, Hook once again looked back at her, a small smile gracing his features.

“You’re not still mad at me?” he asked, only half-joking. Emma instinctively opened her mouth to reply, but briefly hesitated, deciding to choose her words carefully.

“Regardless of how I feel about it,” she finally stated, “Henry was right. You’re still a part of the Nevengers.” Immediately, Hook let out a sudden laugh in reaction to the word.

“I’m part of the _what_?” he asked, his voice filled with mirth.

“Yeah, I know,” Emma agreed with a slight shrug. “Henry came up with the name shortly after we returned from Neverland. I don’t quite understand it, either. But the point is, he was right; we _did_ all become a team in Neverland. Just because we’re back in Storybrooke doesn’t mean we stopped being one. Which means your safety is still important.”

“Well, then,” Hook said. “As one _teammate_ to another, I promise we’ll be careful.”

“Thank you,” Emma replied. In the seconds that followed, Hook fixed his gaze on Emma’s face, his eyes widening slightly. Emma likewise felt her mouth drying out. It was obvious they were both remembering what happened the last time Emma had verbally thanked him for something. Before she could do something she would regret, Emma turned and ducked back inside, leaving Hook standing in the small alleyway. Briefly, he made a movement to go after her, but stopped himself after only a single step. Instead, he turned and walked over to rejoin Smee, Bill and Robert, who had been obediently waiting for him by the street.

By the time Emma had made it back to the main dining room of Granny’s, the first thing she noticed was Henry was sitting alone in the booth, watching Neal and Robin having what looked like a private conversation across the room. Everyone else was noticeably absent.

“What’s going on?” Emma asked, taking a seat next to Henry.

“Dad and Robin actually met before,” Henry explained. “Robin even helped Dad get to Neverland to try and help save me from Pan.”

“Oh,” Emma blinked in response to this information before glancing back at the two men. While she couldn’t be sure, Robin didn’t seem to look very happy about something. Pushing aside her curiosity, Emma continued addressing her son. “So, where did everyone else get to?”

“Grandma and Grandpa left to find the dwarfs and tell everyone they could find about the emergency town meeting. Belle went back to the library to finish cleaning up, and Jefferson’s gone to check on Grace and her cursed parents.”

“Well, since everyone else is off doing their part, what do you say we go down to the town hall and set things up? You can help put out the chairs. And if we get done in time, we’ll get some ice cream. Sound good?”

“Okay,” Henry agreed, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. While Henry was gathering his things, a thought crossed Emma’s mind and she stepped over to the counter.

“Hey, um, Granny?” she began. “I was hoping you could do me a favor. We’re going to try conducting a séance tonight, to try and contact Regina’s mother in the hopes that she can tell us what she can about Zelena. Could you and Ruby watch Henry? If we’re going to call back Cora’s spirit, I don’t feel comfortable with having Henry nearby.”

“Not a problem,” Granny agreed. “No flying monkey is going to get anywhere near here, if it knows what’s good for them.”

With that taken care of, Emma rejoined Henry, Neal and Robin who were waiting for her by the door. The latter two were apparently finished with their conversation, but there was still a distinct air of uneasy tension between them. Making a mental note to ask them about it later, Emma started to push the door open, only to feel the door hit something solid, along with the distinct sound of a person groaning in pain.

“OH!” Emma cried in alarm, staring in shock at the brown-haired man standing right outside, holding his nose in an obvious attempt at easing the pain of being hit in the face with the door. “I’m so sorry!”

“It’s all right,” the man assured, waving away her apology. “I’m fine.”

“You sure?”

“Yes. It surprised me more than anything,” he insisted, looking over at her with a wide smile. “You’re Sheriff Swan, aren’t you?”

“Yeah,” Emma said, trying to figure out if she’d seen this man before. The man obviously picked up on this as he let out a small chuckle.

“No, we haven’t met before,” he admitted. “But _everyone_ in town knows who you are. Name’s Walsh.”

“Nice to meet you,” Emma greeted. “I’m sorry, but we really should get going. There’s going to be an emergency town meeting in an hour, and we have to get thing set up.”

“I understand,” Walsh nodded, stepping aside. “I’ll see you there.” Giving him a polite smile, Emma continued on her way with Henry, Neal and Robin. As she walked, Emma suddenly felt uneasy, as if she was missing something completely obvious, but she quickly chose to put that feeling aside for the time being. They had a town meeting to get ready for.

* * *

Henry led the way to the Mills Mausoleum, with Robin and Mary Margret close behind, keeping an eye out for any sign of attack. Once inside, they found the secret door leading down to Regina’s vault had been left open.

“Mom?” Henry called out as he walked down the stairs without hesitation. When he reached to base of the stairs, he was greeted by the sight of a seemly vacant room.

“Regina? Are you in here?” Mary Margret asked, joining Henry at the bottom of the stairs.

“I’m over here,” Regina’s voice responded, sounding slightly muffled. Turning towards the voice, they saw the woman was sitting in the corner of the vault, her knees up to her chest.

“Mom, are you okay?” Henry asked, approaching her. “We’ve been trying to call you since the town meeting ended to see if you had everything ready for the séance, but you weren’t answering your phone.”

“I’m fine, Henry,” Regina reassured, discreetly wiping away a tear caught in the corner of her eye before getting to her feet. “I’ll be right out; I just have to collect a few more ingredients.”

Once Henry had headed back up the stairs to wait by the entrance, Regina took hold of Mary Margret’s arm as she made to follow him.

“You weren’t planning on having Henry be there for the séance, were you?” she asked, a slight trace of accusation in her voice.

“Of course not,” Mary Margret insisted. “Neal’s going to take him back to Granny’s. Granny and Ruby agreed to keep an eye on him tonight. I’d like to see one of Zelena’s winged monkeys get by Granny’s crossbow. And since there’s a full moon tonight, Ruby will also be able to transform if she has to. He’ll be completely safe under their watch.” If Regina was not satisfied with this, she gave no indication of it. Instead, she allowed Mary Margret to continue up the stairs as she turned and proceed to inspect her collection of potion ingredients, looking for the right ones. For a few seconds, the only sounds in the vault were the clinking of glass vials as Regina continued her search.

“So, what’s _really_ troubling you?” Regina jumped, startled by the sound of Robin’s voice from directly over her shoulder. She made sure to put some distance between them before addressing him.

“Is there a reason why you chose to sneak up behind me instead of waiting outside?” she demanded.

“Well, I was curious. I wanted to know if you were all right,” Robin explained. “Despite your best efforts to hide it, I can tell that something’s troubling you. Is it that letter you attempted to hide when you were soothing Henry’s concerns?”

“What letter?” Regina scoffed, trying to put on an air of nonchalance.

“This one.” Upon looking over, Regina’s eyes widened at the sight of the letter she’d found in Cora’s old trunk, which Robin was now holding up. In a reflexive action, her hand shot up to check the pocket of her coat, only to find it empty.

“I’m a pickpocket by trade,” Robin explained as Regina shot him a furious glare. “I spent many years learning how to rob from magicians.”

“You’re lucky I’m saving my strength for that witch,” Regina snapped, folding her arms and looking away, still fuming. However, Robin showed no sign of being put off by her attitude

“I think, deep down, you actually _want_ to talk about what was written in this letter,” he pointed out gently.

“What makes you think you know me so well?” Regina challenged, still refusing to look at him.

“Well, for one thing I’d be charred to a crisp by now, if you didn’t. “ To this, Regina made no comment, but lowered her eyes, her defensive stance diminishing slightly. “So, can I read it?” Again, Regina remained silent, but she waved a noncommittal hand as a sign of her begrudging permission. Accepting the fact that that was as close to an actual ‘ _yes_ ’ as he was going to get, Robin began to read the letter aloud.

_Cora, dear. I’ve finally got my hands on your first born. Never thought I’d find her, did you? Now I know why: She’s the most powerful sorceress I’ve ever encountered. Even more powerful than you. Stunning in every way._

When he was done, Robin glanced back up at Regina, who was still refusing to look back at him.

“Well, that didn’t seem so bad. Rather complimentary I’d say. Why is this troubling you?”

“I’ve seen that letter a hundred times before,” Regina explained, finally opening up. “In my darkest moments, I’d go to it for comfort. For solace. For brace when I needed it. Because I… I always thought it was about me.” Robin’s eyes widened in sudden realization.

“It was about Zelena,” he said, filling in the blanks. Finally, Regina turned to face Robin head-on, allowing him to see the tears forming in the corner of her eyes.

“Rumpelstiltskin thought she was more powerful than I am,” she admitted.

“So what?” Robin challenged. “Why do you care what that imp thought?”

“Because,” Regina explained, visibly downcast. “If the man who taught me _everything_ I know about magic thought Zelena is stronger than I am, then there’s no way I can defeat her.”

For a long moment, a heavy silence filled the air as Regina once again turned around, so her back was facing Robin. She tried to focus on the task of collecting the potion ingredients she needed for the séance, but found her vision becoming blurred by unshed tears. Out of nowhere, she felt Robin’s hand drop down on her shoulder. Upon looking back at him, she found herself trapped in his gaze, which was filled with a strange mix of sympathy and determination.

“Even if Rumpelstiltskin was right about Zelena being stronger than you in regards to magic,” he pointed out, “that doesn’t mean she’s guaranteed to win. Zelena might be more powerful, but she’s made a rather serious tactical error. There’s only one of her, and she’s essentially challenged _all of us_. It seems to me that the odds are not stacked in her favor.”

“You seem awfully sure of yourself,” Regina muttered, amazed to find Robin’s words had managed to bolster her confidence.

“I think I know a thing or two about the benefits of being part of a group,” Robin stated. “I know I never would have completed most of my jobs if I hadn’t had the Merry Men backing me up.” After another long pause, Regina looked back up at Robin. This time, she allowed herself to smile.

* * *

By the time Regina, Mary Margret and Robin had made it to Regina’s mansion after leaving Henry in the care of Neal and Granny, it was nearly dusk. They were immediately met by Emma, David and Hook, who had been waiting for them outside.

“Sorry I’m late,” Regina began. “I had to collect the necessary ingredients to make a special tea.”

“ _More_ tea?” Emma exclaimed. “It feels like I just finished the tea Jefferson gave us.”

“It’s not for drinking,” Regina stated. “It’s a deadly poison for summoning the dark vortex.”

“I prefer Earl Grey,” David quipped.

As Regina made her way upstairs, Mary Margret happened to glance over at Hook, her face suddenly filled with concern.

“I just remembered,” she began. “Emma briefly mentioned that you were going out looking for your crewmate. Did you find him?” “

No,” Hook replied, his surprise at Mary Margret’s concern managing to overpower his discouragement. “There was no sign of him, anywhere.”

"I’m sorry. If we find a way to change people back….”

“Thank you, Milady,” Hook stated with a grateful but awkward nod.

* * *

Belle was locking up the library for the night when she was struck by the feeling of being watched. Spinning around, she found herself face to face with Jefferson, who was currently looking at her in concern.

“Jefferson? What are you doing here?”

“I was driving back home from picking up Grace,” Jefferson explained, gesturing to the car parked at the curb. Sure enough, a 12-year-old girl was sitting patiently in the passenger seat, watching them. “But what about you? You weren’t about to walk home by yourself, were you? You heard what they said at the emergency town meeting. It’s not a good idea to go anywhere unaccompanied with the flying monkeys on the loose. Especially this close to nightfall.”

“I know,” Belle said. “But… Gold’s shop is just across the street. Unless there’s a flying monkey watching from the shadows, just waiting for me to step foot outside, I don’t think it will be a problem.”

“Wait, were you….are you saying you’ve been sleeping in the back of Gold’s shop? For how long?”

“I know it probably sounds silly,” Belle admitted. “I just…I _tried_ to go back to Gold’s house after he died. I really did. But every time I did, the place just always seemed…so cold and empty. Being there, especially at night? All it did was remind me that he’s gone, and isn’t coming back. And that reminder just made it impossible to fall asleep. But that cot in the back of his shop; while it’s probably not the most comfortable spot to sleep, it somehow feels….”

“Not as lonely.” Jefferson finished with an understanding nod. “I know what you mean. After I lost Priscilla, it was a _long_ time before I felt ready to start using the bed we once shared again. It felt too strange being in that bed and not feeling her lying next to me.” Belle responded to that confession with a sad smile of empathy before carefully stepping around him, beginning to make her way across the street. For a brief moment, Jefferson seemed to be fighting some sort of internal war, but then he let out a loud sigh.

“Wait!” he called after her. Before turning to address Belle, who had immediately stopped in her tracks, Jefferson glanced over at Grace, meeting her gaze through the open car window. As if she knew what her father was intended to do, she gave a wide smile and nodded enthusiastically. Encouraged by Grace’s endorsement, Jefferson turned to face Belle head on. “Thanks to Regina’s curse, I ended up with a….rather large house. There’s a…guest room that’s never been touched. You’re welcome to it, if you want.”

“Oh, no.” Belle shook her head. “I couldn’t do that. I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“Please,” Jefferson insisted, surprising even himself with his persistence. “The curse may not have given me a psychology degree like it did the cricket, but I know this much. It’s not…good… to isolate yourself after you lose someone. Even now, I know I never would have survived after losing Pricilla if it hadn’t been for Grace. And besides, Zelena was supposedly taught by Rumpelstiltskin. It stands to reason she knows his tricks, and might have plans to use something he possessed. Can we be sure that she won’t end up coming to Gold’s shop to find it? And if that happens, what do you think she’ll do if she finds _you_ there on your own?” Belle glanced down at the pavement, thinking about what Jefferson said. She couldn’t deny he made sense.

“Okay,” she relented. But then a coy smile appeared on her face. “Just one thing, first. Shouldn’t you be at Regina’s right now? She’s supposed to be conducting her séance.” In response to those words, Jefferson immediately broke out laughing ironically.

“Do you think I _want_ to be there when they contact that woman?” he asked, shaking his head in bemusement. “After she had me beheaded? And imprisoned me in a room where I wasn’t allowed to leave unless I managed to create a replacement magic hat?”

“Oh.” Belle looked away in embarrassment. “I see your point. Just let me grab something from Gold’s shop. I’ll be right back.” Without another word, Belle crossed the street at a brisk pace, with Jefferson keeping an eye on her to make sure she made it inside okay. Once Belle was inside Gold’s shop, Grace poked her head out of the car window.

“I’m really glad you invited her over, Papa,” she said.

“I know. It’s important to help others,” Jefferson replied in a tone suggesting he’d heard Grace saying that many times before.

“Yes, but that’s not what I meant,” Grace explained. “You spent all those years during the curse without anyone to talk to. I’m glad you’re reaching out and making friends.” Jefferson didn’t respond to that, but his expression instantly shifted as he contemplated that remark.

* * *

At his mansion, Jefferson stood alone in the living room, deep in thought as he stood by the large bay window. Belle and Grace seemed to have hit it off quite well during the car ride over, bonding over a shared love for the written word. Even now, he could hear them in the other room, having a deep discussion about a book Grace had discovered last week, about a young girl who was sent to live with her mysterious uncle after losing her parents in an epidemic, and how she discovered a long-neglected flower garden while exploring the grounds around her uncle’s manor house. As much as it pleased him to hear his daughter speaking so enthusiastically, he couldn’t bring himself to join in on the conversation. Instead, he simply stood by the window, allowing his mind to wander while occasionally checking his telescope for any sign of flying monkeys that might be lurking about outside.

“Papa!” Hearing Grace addressing him directly pulled Jefferson away from his thoughts and he turned to find she and Belle had joined him in the living room. “Is there any more of the spice cake we got from the bakery?”

“I think so. Check the top shelf of the pantry.” Grace promptly left the room to locate the spice cake, leaving Jefferson alone with Belle.

“Thank you again for allowing me to stay here,” Belle said.

“Think nothing of it. I hope Grace isn’t bothering you too much.”

“Of course not! She’s a wonderful girl.”

“Yes, I think so, too.” Belle couldn’t stop the smile from appearing on her face at hearing the paternal pride in Jefferson’s voice.

“So, what are you doing in here?” Belle asked, glancing around the room. “It almost feels like you’re avoiding us by hiding out in here.”

“That was not my intention,” Jefferson explained. “This is…just not something I’m used to.”

“What’s not something you’re used to?”

“Being with people. For a long time now, it was mainly something I only did for professional reasons. Such as when I was discussing the prices for the mushrooms I’d sell back in the Enchanted Forest. It was very rare that I’d spend time with people just for the sake of it. But these last few days, I’m finding myself actively conversing with Hook, and even telling you about Priscilla. I’d nearly forgotten just how….easy it could be to just spend time with people.”

“It does tend to be easier when you’re with someone you share a common interest with,” Belle stated. After a brief pause, she decided to change the subject. “So, what _were_ you doing in here?”

“Just checking the skies for any winged monkeys,” Jefferson explained, gesturing to the telescope, which Belle looked through without further preamble. \

“Wow,” Belle said as she took in the view. “You can see all the way into town with this. Look! Archie’s over at Marco’s place, having dinner with him and Pinocchio.”

“During the curse, I used it to look in on Grace. Then, when Emma entered the town, it helped me keep watch over how things were stating to change, as her very presence helped weaken the curse’s effects. After the curse broke, I considered selling it, since I had no practical use for it any more. But Grace likes to use it to look at the night sky. And occasionally watch the birds building nests.”

“Jefferson!” Belle suddenly exclaimed in an alarmed voice. “Something’s happening at Regina’s!”

“Let me see.” Belle obediently stepped aside to look through the telescope, which was now aimed in the direction of Regina’s mansion on the other side of town. Sure enough, there was an obvious commotion going on over there. Flashes of blue and purple lights could be seen in the upstairs windows, but it was hard to make out what was causing them. As he watched, one of the windows shattered, as if something had struck it from the inside.

“Something’s wrong,” he muttered, feeling uneasy. “I’m heading over to see what’s happened.”

“I’m going with you,” Belle volunteered, starting to follow him out of the room. 

“No!” Jefferson replied, spinning around, his eyes wide with fear and apprehension. “No. If you come along, we’d have to bring Grace. There is no way I’m going to leave her alone here. Not with Zelena and her flying monkeys on the loose. And I won’t bring her over to Regina’s when there’s no telling what’s going on over there. No, I need you to stay here to look after Grace until I get back. Could you do that for me?”

“Of course,” Belle agreed, nodding in understanding.

“Thank you,” Jefferson sighed in relief as he continued out of the room. When he reached the doorway, however, he paused to look back, a thought crossing his mind. “If you want, you can keep an eye on things with the telescope. You’ll be able to see if something happens.”

“Okay. Just be careful, all right?”

“I will.” With that, Jefferson exited the room to head over to Regina’s mansion.

* * *

When Jefferson had made it over to Regina’s, things seemed to have quieted down, but he had arrived just in time to see the front door opening up and David escorting an ill-looking Mary Margret outside. Regina, Robin, Emma and Hook all filed out after them. When Jefferson exited his car, he managed to catch some of their conversation.

“If she knows something that could help…” Regina was saying.

“Regina, it’s going to have to wait,” David interrupted. “ _Look at her_. We need to get her to Dr. Whale.

“What’s going on?” Jefferson asked, making his way over. “We saw the commotion through my telescope. What happened?”

“We managed to contact Regina’s mother,” Robin explained. “But she didn’t seem to be in a very talkative move. Instead, she did something to Mary Margret.”

“And we’re getting her to the hospital so she can be checked over,” David announced, now glaring at Regina as if daring her to argue with him. “Whatever she may have learned, it can wait until….”

“David,” Mary Margret cut in weakly. “It’s okay. Just…let me sit down for a moment.”

“Are you sure?” David asked, still visibly fearful for her well-being.

“Yes, I’m sure. I just need to sit down.” David still looked unsure, but he helped Mary Margaret sit down on the front stoop. After taking a few steadying breaths, she began to speak. “Cora didn’t want to give up Zelena. She was forced to. By my mother, Eva. She told a secret. Just like I did.

“Wait, I thought our family were the good guys,” Emma said.

“Life is too messy for it to ever be that simple,” Regina pointed out.

“Hold on a moment,” Jefferson spoke up. “I’m sorry, but I’m gathering that this is what _Cora’s_ spirit told you, right? Are you really telling me you’re going to take the word of a woman who thought the best way to ensure her daughter’s happiness was to murder the man her daughter loved?” Before Mary Margret could reply to that, Jefferson pressed on. “Let’s start at the beginning. What exactly was this secret that your mother told?”

“She was supposed to be married to my father, when he was still a prince.” Mary Margret explained. “But she had a secret. Before she met Prince Leopold, she had been seduced by a man who claimed to be a prince, but was actually the palace gardener. When she discovered she was pregnant, the gardener refused to support or acknowledge the child. So Cora’s good name was on the line. When she met Prince Leopold, she had the chance to save face and escape the shame of having a child out of wedlock. But my mother learned Cora’s secret and told Prince Leopold. He sent Cora away in disgrace.”

“Let me get this straight,” Robin frowned as he took this in. “This Cora planned to deceive Prince Leopold by making him think he was the father of her illegitimate child. And because Eva found out and told Prince Leopold about the deception, we’re supposed to view Eva as the villain in this drama?”

“Robin does bring up a good point,” Hook agreed. “Marriage founded on a lie is never advisable.”

At that moment, Mary Margret seemed to sway slightly, prompting David to steady her.

“Okay, you’ve done your part for the evening,” David spoke up, once again shepherding Mary Margret to his truck. “Now we _need_ to get you to Dr. Whale, to make sure you’re both all right.” This time, Mary Margret made no argument and allowed David to load her into the passenger seat.

“Wait a minute,” Emma said, her father’s words sinking in. “ _Both_ all right? What’s going on?” David didn’t reply right away, but Emma didn’t miss how his back suddenly tensed up. After a few seconds, he turned to face her, his expression that of someone who’d just put his foot in his mouth.

“Oh, Emma,” Mary Margret said, giving her an odd smile. “We’re sorry. This isn’t how your father and I wanted to tell you. We were hoping we’d get the chance to share the news after Zelena was taken care of, to give us all another reason to celebrate.”

“Tell me what?” Emma asked. However, the tone of her voice suggested she already had an idea of what Mary Margret was saying.

“We’re having a baby,” David announced, giving his daughter a brief smile. Upon hearing this, Emma’s eyes widened considerably. But she was able to push her shock aside enough to form a verbal response.

“That…that’s great,” she said. “Yeah, you’re right; you _should_ get down to see Dr. Whale. Make sure nothing went wrong when Cora possessed you.” After taking a moment to pull Emma into a brief hug, David entered his truck and drove off in the direction of the hospital. But Emma remained rooted to the spot, staring off into space as her mind processed things. She knew she shouldn’t have been shocked by this. After all, she’d known since the Echo Caves that her parents were thinking about having another baby. But it wasn’t until she learned that there was actually a baby on the way that it all became real to her.

“Swan?” Hook spoke tentatively from behind her. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” Emma insisted, forcing her expression to become neutral as she looked over at him. But despite her efforts to act nonchalant, she could see she was not fooling Hook, as he continued to look at her with tender concern, and a touch of what appeared to be empathy. Knowing that she wasn’t going to be able to fool him, Emma turned on her heel and began to make her way to her yellow bug. Even as she walked, she could feel Hook’s gaze boring into her back.

* * *

Across town at Granny’s, Henry and Neal were sitting at the front counter, Henry enjoying his cinnamon hot cocoa while Neal took the occasional sip from his glass of beer. Neither of them were currently aware of what had happened at Regina’s. Or that they were being watched with close scrutiny from the figure sitting in the corner booth.

When he was sure no one was looking, Walsh climbed out of his seat and slipped away towards the back, heading in the way of the bathrooms. Instead of entering the restroom, he removed a small circular mirror from his pocket and held it up. Within moments, Zelena’s face appeared in the surface of the mirror.

“Well?” Zelena asked, cutting right to the chase. “How did it go?”

“Everything is going as you planned,” Walsh replied. “I’ve managed to get a foot in the door by officially meeting the Savior. It won’t take me long to earn their trust.”

“Well done, my clever little spy. I knew I could trust you with this task. Make sure to keep me posted.”

“Of course,” Walsh agreed with a smile, his eyes flashing red for a brief moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can probably gather from this chapter, I wasn't a fan of the 'message' of the actual episode where Cora and Eva's backstory was explained, and how everyone seemed to be taking Cora's side. While I could tell the writers were trying to make us feel bad for Cora, they just ended up doing the complete opposite, and making Cora the one villain (apart from Pan) that I didn't have an ounce of sympathy for. Sure, Eva was a bit of a jerk about things, but she was absolutely right to tell Prince Leopold what Cora was doing. Cora was not only deliberately lying to the future king, but was planning to steal from him and the entire kingdom to keep her deception from being found out. I'm pretty sure that you can get executed for that in some countries. And when Prince Leopold gave her the chance to come clean, she chose to continue lying when she could have given him a sob story about how she was too scared to tell him about her baby. Seeing as how Prince Leopold seemed to have sincerely cared about Cora, I'm pretty sure he would have gone ahead and married her anyway if Cora had told him the truth when he confronted her. Not to mention the fact that she took her newborn baby out into the middle of the woods and just left her there to die when she could have just left Baby Zelena with a kindly peasant couple. I can't even pretend to feel sorry for someone who'd do that to their baby.
> 
> Rant aside, I was surprised that I was able to cover so much ground in this chapter. I hope it met everyone's satisfaction. Thank you for reading. Reviews are always welcome.


	7. Sword and Shadow

“Thanks for the update,” Emma said as she wrapped up her phone call with David. “I’ll meet you guys back at the loft, later.” As Emma put away her phone, she glanced up at Henry and Neal, who were both sitting across from her in the family’s usual booth. “Well, Dr. Whale’s cleared Mary Margret. It would seem the human body has a tolerance against ghostly possession.”

“So…. Mary Margret’s pregnant,” Neal stated.

“Yes, it looks like she is,” Emma confirmed, picking at the remnants of the basket of onion rings that she’d ordered when she first arrived at Granny’s to fill Henry and Neal in on what happened at the séance.

“That’s great!” Henry pipped up. “Do they know if it’s going to be a boy or a girl?”

“I think it’s little too soon for that, kid,” Emma pointed out. “Anyway, it’s getting late; it’ll be time to get ready for bed, soon.”

“Okay. Night, Dad,”

“See you tomorrow, buddy.”

As Emma led Henry to the front door, she was approached by Granny, who handed her a takeout container.

“I overhead the news,” she explained, keeping her voice down in a playfully secretive whisper. “I figured your mother would appreciate it, especially if her cravings have already started.” Out of curiosity, Emma snuck a peek inside the container and saw it contained four small fruit tarts topped with sliced strawberries, blueberries and raspberries.

“What, no ice cream and pickles?” Emma asked, cracking a reluctant smile.

“Well, it may be too soon to determine what Snow’s cravings will consist of _this_ time,” Granny replied, “but she certainly showed a preference for berries when _you_ were on the way. Just let me know if she’d prefer something different this time around.” Emma’s eyes widened slightly at the information, but she pushed it aside and thanked Granny before continuing out with Henry. Unbeknownst to the two woman, Walsh had been eavesdropping on their conversation with visible interest on his face.

* * *

David jerked awake in the early hours of the morning. It was still well before dawn, so the only light source came from the streetlight outside the window. Trying to slow his still-rapid heartbeat, he glanced over at Mary Margret, who was lying next to him. He was relieved to see she was still peacefully asleep. Being careful not to wake her, he leaned over to place a chaste kiss against her cheek before climbing out of bed to make his way to the kitchenette to get himself some water. Before he reached the sink, the nightmare he’d just had completely came back to him and he was struck by a wave of uneasiness. As quietly as possible, he made his way up the metal stairwell to the upper level of the loft apartment and looked at the two beds that resided up there. Like Mary Margret, both Emma and Henry were sleeping soundly. Hesitating only for a moment, David crept over and knelt by Emma’s bedside, taking the time to study her face, taking in the features she’d clearly inherited, from her mother’s chin to his own nose. Even the shape of her ears reminded David of his departed mother.

David’s thoughts were interrupted when Emma rolled over slightly in her sleep. However, the movement caused her blankets to slip down slightly, leaving half of her sleeping form exposed to the night air. Acting on instinct, David reached out and fixed the sheets, making sure they were covering Emma again. The moment he realized what he’d just did, he was overwhelmed with a sudden feeling of sorrow and regret, thinking about how this was the closest he’d ever gotten to tucking his little girl into bed. He began to wonder if anyone had ever done that for her while he couldn’t. He normally tried not to ask Emma questions like that. Not because he didn’t want to know, of course. He wanted to know _everything_ about Emma’s childhood; everything about what he’d been forced to miss out on. The problem was, he’d been able to figure out enough to know Emma hadn’t had the best life growing up, and there was a part of him that didn’t want to hear just how bad it had been. He remembered one time in particular, when they had all been having breakfast together. Emma had casually passed him a spoon, and when he’d reached out to take it, he caught a brief glimpse of what looked disturbingly like a cigarette burn on her hand. The sight of that mark on his daughter’s hand had momentarily paralyzed him with shock, sorrow, and anger. Shock that someone would do that to a child, sorrow that he hadn’t been able to shield her from experiencing that level of cruelty, and anger at whoever had dared lay a finger on his little girl. Even now, he was amazed he had kept himself from questioning Emma about the scar, but he’d been glad he had. Not only was there was nothing he could do to change what had happened, he knew that hearing exactly what happened would only make him want to hunt down the bastard responsible. But because of the spell surrounding the town line, that wasn’t possible, no matter how much he wished otherwise.

“I’m sorry, Emma,” David whispered to the sleeping woman. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you needed me.”

After a few more minutes had passed, David was finally able to pull himself away from Emma’s bedside and returned downstairs to complete his trip to the kitchenette. Unfortunately, his unease from the nightmare he’d experienced stuck with him.

* * *

Belle nearly flew into the sheriff’s station, her face flushed with alarm. As she dashed into the main room, she cried out Emma’s name, but when she saw Emma wasn’t alone, she skidded to a halt.

“Oh, sorry,” Belle apologized, realizing that Emma and her visitor, a heavyset man with a common nightingale perched tamely on his shoulder, were both staring at her. “I didn’t realize you were busy.”

“It’s okay, Belle,” Emma stated, adopting a businesslike tone as she turned back to the heavyset man. “I understand your concern, Mr. Luscinia. I promise I’ll look into it. If I learn anything that suggests _that’s_ what she’s planning, I’ll be sure to let you know right away, and we’ll take the necessary steps to prevent anything from happening.” Mr Luscinia seemed to be satisfied with that assurance and left with merely a nod of understanding.

“What did Mr. Luscinia want?” Belle asked.

“He was concerned about the safety of his pet nightingale,” Emma explained. “Somehow, he got this idea in his head that Zelena’s plan would involve casting a spell that would call for a nightingale and she would therefore come after _his_ nightingale. I suppose I can understand why he’d be concerned. Nightingales are not native to Maine, so his pet is probably the only nightingale around.

“Anyway, what was it you wanted?” At the reminder of why she had come to see Emma, Belle’s urgency returned.

“Someone broke into Rumple’s shop!” Belle exclaimed. At this news, Emma was instantly on the alert.

“What do you mean?”

“I was going back to the library to continue trying to figure out what Zelena is planning, and maybe find out if there was a way to turn those poor people back from being flying monkeys,” Belle replied. “I realized I left a book I had been searching through in the back of Rumple’s shop. When I went to fetch it, the shop was in a shambles.”

Within minutes, Emma had escorted Belle back to Gold’s old shop. Sure enough, the place had been ransacked, with objects overturned and broken glass everywhere.

“Who could have done this?” Belle asked, carefully picking up a broken jeweled music box.

“My money is on Zelena,” Emma guessed, looking around at the chaotic state of the former pawn shop. “She might have been planning on using something from here against us. Do you know if anything was taken?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t been able to make an inventory,” Belle said. “The moment I saw the state of this place, I went to find you.”

“You did the right thing. Whoever trashed this place might have still been here when you turned up.”

“I know. If I hadn’t agreed to Jefferson’s offer….” When Belle trailed off and didn’t complete her sentence, Emma glanced away from the mess and gave her a questioning look.

“What about Jefferson?” she prompted.

“Jefferson let me stay at his place last night,” Belle admitted. Realizing that her statement might have been taken the wrong way, she hurried to clarify. “Nothing happened. He was just allowing me to stay in his guest room. So I…wouldn’t have to spend another night in the back of the shop.”

“You’ve been _sleeping_ here?” Emma asked. “For how long?”

“A while,” Belle admitted, bowing her head in mild shame and embarrassment. Understanding quickly flashed across Emma’s face.

“Hey, you have nothing to be ashamed about,” she comforted. “It couldn’t have been easy for you to lose Gold the way you did. While it’s probably not much of a consolation, we’re all grateful for his sacrifice. He might have only acted to save you and Neal, but we wouldn’t have been able to defeat Pan in time without him.” Belle smiled in response, but didn’t say anything else, resulting in an awkward silence. Hoping to alleviate the uneasiness, Emma decided to try and change the subject.

“I know it’s not much,” Emma began, “but would you accept my help in straightening this place up? Maybe it’ll help us figure out if there’s something missing.”

“Thank you,” Belle said, accepting the offer.

* * *

Regina stepped out of Kisamos Greek Taverna, carrying a take-out bag containing a bowl of kotopoulo salata and an order of croketes. As she neared her car that had been parked out front, she happened to glance over at the bench at the virtually abandoned bus stop and saw Robin sitting there, looking completely forlorn. Hesitating for only a moment, Regina turned and made her way over to him.

“What are you doing out here?” she asked once she was close enough. Robin took a few minutes to answer, but Regina was quick to notice he was holding something in his hand, occasionally fondling it with his thumb. Glancing down, Regina saw it was Roland’s spinning top.

“I can’t stand this,” Robin announced. “I can’t stand sitting around, knowing my son is out there, and even though I know where he’s being kept, I can’t do anything to get him back. Not when he’s undoubtedly being guarded by who knows how many of those winged monkeys. And one bite from one of them will turn you into a monkey, yourself. I’ve never felt so powerless in my life.”

“I know,” Regina replied. “I know this isn’t much of a comfort, but we’re doing all we can.”

“I realize that,” Robin exclaimed, nearly jumping to his feet. “I just….”

“Just what?”

“I just….wish there was a way I could talk to him, or even just see him. To make sure he’s all right.” For a brief moment, the two stood in silence, but then Regina’s expression shifted as an idea occurred to her.

“There might actually _be_ a way,” she realized.

“How?” Robin asked, spinning around to face her, his face filled with cautious optimism.

* * *

David entered the sheriff station, adjusting his gun holster. He’d gotten a call from Emma asking him to man the station for her while she continued to help Belle straighten up the mess at Gold’s old shop to figure out if anything had been stolen. While he wouldn’t admit it aloud, he welcomed the chance to do something constructive. It appeared that Leroy had somehow found out about the baby, so of course, the whole town had heard. Which meant that everyone he’d run into on the street had offered their congratulations.

Just as he was settling in, he heard the sound of someone walking down the hallway behind him. He turned around in time to see a man walk in.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” he said upon seeing David. “I was looking for Sheriff Swan.”

“She’s out at the moment,” David stated. “Is there something I can do for you?”

“No, it’s nothing important. We just…ran into each other last night and…. never mind. It really isn’t important.”

“I don’t think we’ve met,” David commented, studying the man.

“My name’s Walsh,” the man introduced, holding out a hand in a clear invitation. David accepted the offer of a handshake, purposely gripping Walsh’s hand firmly in a fatherly warning.

“David Nolan.”

“Ah, you’re Emma Swan’s father. I heard you have another baby on the way. That must be pretty exciting.”

“Oh, yes. We’re very happy about it,” David replied.

“Well, that’s good to hear,” Walsh said with a smile. “You know, if I was in your situation, I would be scared out of my mind. Bringing a baby into the world when there’s a witch and flying monkeys lurking around? That must be quite disconcerting. Especially after what happened with your daughter, Emma. Everyone in town heard _that_ story, with how you lost her just seconds after she was born.”

“I’m not worried,” David insisted. “We still have months before the baby’s born. I’m sure we’ll find a way to defeat Zelena long before that happens.”

“You really _are_ as brave as they say, aren’t you?” Wash complemented before gesturing to the coffee maker in the corner of the station. “Say, would you mind if I made you some coffee? A fearless man like you deserves a bit of a toast, wouldn’t you say?”

“That would be nice, thank you.” Accepting the permission, Walsh crossed the room and went to work, preparing a cup of coffee. However, when he was sure David wasn’t looking, Walsh slipped a small bag out of his pocket and stealthily added the powered contents into the drink.

* * *

Regina and Robin made their way through Regina’s mansion, heading toward the mirror that hung in the foyer.

“So you can really use a mirror to show us how Roland is doing?” Robin asked, seeking clarification as they walked.

“It would be a bit easier if I still had Sidney,” Regina admitted. “But after we returned from Neverland, I ended up resuming my sessions with Archie. One of the steps I had to take in my… rehabilitation was to free him from my service. He’s back to writing for the newspaper again, and seems to be much happier. So, it would be…wrong to drag him back, now. We’re just going to have to do this without him.”

Pouring her concentration into the task, Regina waved her hand in front of the mirror’s face. Almost instantly, the reflections of the two people standing in front of the mirror vanished, being replaced by a misty looking fog that swirled around the mirror’s surface. However, before the fog could dissipate, a loud sound reverberated around the room, almost like a thunderclap, and Regina was thrown backwards, crashing into the opposite wall.

“Regina!” Robin cried, hurrying over towards her. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” Regina insisted, more humiliated than hurt. Without hesitation, Robin knelt down to help her into a sitting position.

“What happened?”

“Zelena must be one step ahead of us, this time. She’s put up a protective barrier around that storm cellar, just so we wouldn’t be able to see inside it, even with mirror magic. Unfortunately, my magic isn’t strong enough to penetrate it, or get around her barrier.”

“So, there’s nothing you can do?”

“I’m sorry,” Regina apologized, her bruised ego mixing with her sympathy for Robin’s plight. “I really thought I could…”

“No, it’s not your fault,” Robin insisted. “It may not have worked, but I’m still grateful that you tried.

As Robin spoke, he helped Regina to her feet, keeping a firm grip on her to hold her steady. By chance, Regina glanced down at Robin’s arm. The moment what she saw fully registered, she froze in shock.

“What is that?” she exclaimed, just barely preventing herself from snapping in alarm.

“What’s what?”

“That! On your arm!”

“Oh, that,” Robin chuckled, looking down at the tattoo on his right wrist. “I sometimes forget about that. It’s been quite a while since I had it done. Bit of a long story, I’m afraid, but….Regina?” Robin stopped in his explanation when he looked back up at Regina and saw that she was now staring at him as if seeing him for the first time. “Regina, what’s wrong?”

“I…I’m sorry, I just…” Without warning, Regina turned and hurried out of the room, ignoring the sound of Robin calling after her in obvious confusion.

* * *

“Well, I guess that’s it,” Belle commented as she and Emma returned the last undamaged item to its rightful spot on the shelf. “There doesn’t seem to be anything missing, though.”

“I suppose the item they were looking for wasn’t here,” Emma speculated.

“But what _were_ they after?”

“I don’t know. You’re certain everything that was in the shop is accounted for?”

“Yes. Everything that was out in plain sight is all here,” Belle confirmed.

“Are you saying that there were items that weren’t in plain sight?”

“Well, there  _are_ some items that Rumple kept in his safe,” Belle explained as she pulled aside the painting that kept the wall mounted safe hidden. “But you need an authorized finger print to open it, and….OH!” Emma’s head snapped back around at the sound of the alarm in Belle’s voice and saw the problem right away. It looked as if something had ripped the fingerprint scanner clean off the safe and tried to stick it back in. The only problem is that the culprit didn’t do a very good job of it, as the fingerprint scanner was upside down. The two women shared a concerned glance before Belle turned the handle on the safe’s door, which opened without resistance. 

“They got into the safe?” Belle gasped. 

“That must have been why they trashed the place,” Emma theorized as Belle studied the objects that were kept inside the broken safe. “It was just a diversion to keep us from noticing the safe was broken into. When you’re looking to see if an item is missing, why bother looking in a spot where you’re sure things are safe?” 

“And it looks like they _did_ make off with something,” Belle announced, taking out an empty glass jar. “But out of all the items in the shop, why would they take _that_ one?” 

“What is it? What did they take?” 

“It was part of a magical plant,” Belle explained. “Rumble told me about it when we were programming my fingerprint into the safe, during that time when I thought I was Lacey. He said that ingesting it causes you to hallucinate and think you’re being confronted by whatever you’re afraid of.” 

“Why would Zelena be interested in something like that?” Emma questioned.

* * *

David drove the squad car along the outskirts of town, scanning the area for any sign of Zelena or her flying monkeys. As he drove, he continued to take the occasional sip of the coffee Walsh had brewed. The two men had shared a friendly chat before David had gotten a text from Emma, saying that she was going to be away from the station for a while longer. After the text had been received, Walsh had politely excused himself by stating he shouldn’t keep David from his job and left. 

As David drove past the line of trees bordering the town, he glimpsed movement out of the corner of his eye. Turning to get a better look, he saw what looked like a cloaked figure ducking behind a tree. Immediately on the alert, David pulled the squad car over and stepped out to try and get a better look. For a few seconds, he didn’t see anything, but then he heard the sound of a branch snapping. Glancing in the direction of the sound, he once again saw the cloaked figure, moving out further into the woods. Acting quickly, David popped open the trunk of the squad car, where he’d stashed his sword. While he did appreciate the benefits of the handgun, he still preferred to keep his old sword on hand, on account of the familiarity. And it helped to keep it handy in case there was a situation when he might be involved in a close range fight. 

Once again, David looked out into the woods, trying to spot the cloaked figure to no avail. After making a brief call to Emma to inform her of his location and what he was doing, which went straight to voicemail, David began to walk out into the woods, keeping an eye out for the cloaked figure.

* * *

Regina made her way towards her vault, still shaken by her recent revelation. The man with the lion tattoo, the one Tinkerbell had tried to get her to meet all those years ago, was _Robin Hood_? Of all the men it could have been, it was the famous outlaw? And how was it possible that her path just _happened_ to cross with his once again? 

She was so deep in thought, she didn’t notice Emma was standing outside waiting for her until she’d nearly reached the mausoleum door. 

“Unless you have an idea on how to get rid of Zelena, Miss Swan, this isn’t a good time,” Regina commented. 

“It’s _actually_ about Zelena,” Emma said. “Kind of. I was hoping….we could start resuming my magic lessons?” 

“ _Now_?” Regina scoffed. “You have a very interesting concept of timing.” 

“It’s just that… we have reason to believe that Zelena broke into Gold’s shop and made off with some night root. And it was only by pure luck that Belle wasn’t there when the break-in happened. It’s clear to me that we need to stop Zelena before she gets the chance to hurt anyone. So I’m going to have to at least start getting the hang of my magic. I know I’m not going to be able to master it that quickly, but I can at least start learning.” 

“Very well,” Regina said, seeing this as her chance to distract herself from thoughts about Robin and the lion tattoo. “Come with me. But don’t touch anything.” 

“How am I supposed to learn magic if I can’t touch anything?” Emma asked as she followed Regina down to her vault. 

* * *

David cautiously made his way through the woods, constantly looking around for any sign of movement. Even so, he was caught by surprise when the cloaked figure suddenly emerged from behind a tree and charged right at him. Fortunately, he managed to recover in time to dodge out of the way, striking out at the figure as it passed him with the flat end of his sword. When David attempted to go on the offensive, he was shocked to see the figure manage to dodge each of his blows. Before he was even aware of it happening, the figure had grabbed him by his neck, forcing him up against a tree. Fighting for breath against the iron grip, David managed to reach out and close his fingers against the cloaked figure’s hood. But when he yanked the hood off the figure’s face, he was momentarily paralyzed with shock at the sight of his own face staring back at him. 

“What…what are you?” David managed to ask. In response, his doppelganger flashed a cruel smile. 

“I’m you.” 

* * *

Emma staggered off the rickety-looking tower of broken wood, dropping to her hands and knees the minute she set foot on solid ground. Gasping for breath as her adrenaline rush died down, she looked back at the tower that she constructed on pure impulse. 

“Did I just do that?” she asked, glancing up at Regina, who was standing nearby. 

“Yes,” Regina snapped, glaring at the wooden tower. “And all I wanted was for you to retie the rope!” 

“It was like you said,” Emma commented, getting back to her feet. “Instinct.” In response to this, Regina let out an irritated huff, now scowling at Emma. “Why are you pissed? I did it. Why does it matter how?” 

“You think I'm mad because you didn't _listen to me_?” Regina exclaimed, shaking her head. “I'm mad because…. Just _look_ at all this potential inside of you! And you've been _wasting_ it!” 

Before Emma could come up with a response, they heard the sound of a strangled yell coming from down the path. Upon hearing the shout, Emma’s head snapped in the direction it came from. 

“That sounded like David!” she cried. 

Without a moment’s hesitation, Emma turned and raised off, with Regina following close behind. 

“David?” Emma called out as she ran. “ _Dad_?” A few moments later, David came into view. He was leaning against a tree, breathing heavily and looking as if he’d seen a ghost. 

“Emma.” David breathed out a sigh the moment he saw her. 

“Are you okay?” Emma exclaimed, stepping to his side in visible concern. 

“Yes, I’m fine.” 

“What happened?” Regina demanded. “You weren’t attacked by a flying monkey, were you? Because if it bit you….” 

“No, it…it wasn’t a flying monkey,” David admitted. It was…myself.” 

“Wait, _what_?” Emma blinked in confusion. 

“It’s Zelena,” Regina speculated. “She’s toying with us.”

“But why would she send something that looked like David?” Emma asked. 

“I have no idea,” David said. “It was just there. Wearing my face, and harping on my deepest fears.” Regina’s eyes widened instantly. 

“It knew your deepest fears?” 

“Yeah. Things I never told anyone. Not even Mary Margaret. It wasn't until I admitted them that I was able to defeat it by stabbing it with the hilt of my sword.” “

That must have been why the night root was stolen from Gold’s shop,” Emma mused. “She must have tricked you into swallowing it, somehow. But what was the point?” 

“Your sword!” Regina spoke up, looking around in visible alarm. “Where is your sword?” 

“That's the strange part, David replied. “After I killed it, the hilt…. It just disappeared.” 

“What does that mean?” Emma asked, turning to Regina for clarification. 

“When we face our deepest fears, our true courage comes out,” Regina explained. “When you used the hilt of your sword to vanquish your fears, your courage transferred into it.” 

“Then why'd it disappear?” 

“It didn't disappear. _She_ took it.” 

“Hang on,” Emma once again spoke up. “Zelena stole his courage?”

“Well, a symbol of it, at least. And symbols can be powerful totems. The real question is, what does she plan to do with it?”

Before anything more could be said, David seemed to sway on the spot, prompting Emma to pull him into a crutch carry.

“We can worry about that later,” she said. “Right now, we should get him back home.”

* * *

Mary Margret eyed her husband, who was sitting on the couch with a blanket draped over his shoulders. Emma and Regina had dropped him off a short time ago, giving a brief explanation of what had happened in the woods. They had left again a few minutes later, with Regina stating there was something important they needed to do, but they both agreed that David should stay home for the rest of the day to recover from the shock he had while facing his doppelganger. To further help settle his nerves, Mary Margret had whipped together a fresh batch of hot chocolate, which she promptly served him in a large mug.

“So, are you going to tell me the whole story?” Mary Margret asked, cutting to the chase as she took a seat next to him.

“What do you mean?” David responded.

“You know you’re not fooling me, David. Emma and Regina both said that the night root you somehow swallowed made you face a manifestation of your deepest fears. Well, what scares me right now is that you’re not telling me what it was that scared you so much. Whatever it is, do you think it will make me think less of you?”

“It’s not that,” David admitted. “I was…just too ashamed to admit it because I wanted you to be able to count on me.”

“And I _do_. But you also need to remember that you can count on me, too. Don’t forget you’re the same man who helped me find the courage and strength to face my fears and actually fight for my kingdom. But I won’t be able to return the favor and do the same for you, unless you tell me.” At long last, David gave in.

“You’re right. I _was_ afraid. Afraid of…letting _this one_ down.” To make his meaning plain, David placed a gentle hand on Mary Margret’s still-flat stomach. Understanding immediately flashed across Mary Margret’s face.

“It’s because we lost Emma, isn’t it? That wasn’t our fault.”

“I know it wasn’t. But because we lost her, I was never her father.”

“David, you have been a _great_ father.”

“To her now,” David pointed out. “But I didn't raise her. And _this_ child? I've never done this before, and I don't know if I can.

“And to make it worse, we have Zelena out there. Once again, we’re bringing a child into the world when an evil witch is threatening us all. I’m afraid something will happen, and we’ll end up losing this child, the same way we lost Emma.”

“Charming,” Mary Margret said gently, catching David’s attention with the use of her nickname for him. “You have nothing to be ashamed of for feeling like that. I’m scared, too. For all the reasons you just mentioned. But I know we’re going to be okay. Even if Zelena is still a threat when it comes time for our baby to be born, we're going to do this the way we do everything. Together.”

“Now, how did I forget that?” David asked with a warm smile.

* * *

Robin made his way through the cemetery, clutching the letter in his hand. When he began to near the Mills Mausoleum, he found Regina and Emma were both waiting for him outside.

“I got your letter,” he announced, holding up the note. “What was it that you wanted to see me about?”

“It turns out that we might have found a way around a particular hurdle,” Regina announced, beginning to lead the way down to her vault.

“Regina?” Robin spoke in a soft voice as they made their way down the hidden staircase. “I hope I didn’t upset you earlier today.”

“No,” Regina insisted quickly. “You didn’t upset me. But that’s not important right now. Right now, what matters is upholding the promise I gave you, by helping you look in on your son.”

“Are you saying that you found a way past Zelena’s magical barrier?”

“No, but I’m not going to be the one to do so. _Emma’s_ the one who will do the honors.”

“Wait, _me_?” Emma gaped.

“After seeing the raw power you possess,” Regina pointed out, “I think you might be able to get through Regina’s barrier.”

“Okay,” Emma agreed, still visibly unsure. “How do I do it?”

“Well, you've focused,” Regina instructed, “you've let emotions awaken your power. Now you have to look inward.”

After taking a deep breath, Emma faced the mirror Regina kept hanging in her vault and closed her eyes, trying to follow Regina’s instructions. It was only when she saw light shining through her eyelids and heard Robin’s surprised gasp that she opened her eyes again. Instead of their reflections, the mirror was showing the image of a small boy, huddled up in a shadowy corner of a room. The boy was clearly afraid, but was otherwise unharmed. At the moment, he was wiping his eyes while picking at the contents of a dinner plate that had been left in front of him, which held a small loaf of bread and a single turkey leg.

“Roland,” Robin choked out, his voice filled with emotion. “I thought seeing him would help, but…. knowing he’s this scared, when there’s no way I can reach him and let him know that I’m there?”

“I’m sorry,” Emma said in empathy. “I know this can’t be easy, knowing your son is in trouble. When Henry was kidnapped by Pan, one of the hardest things to deal with was the thought of him loosing hope of being rescued.”

“Actually,” Regina spoke up, “that gives me an idea?”

“What, are you suggesting we utilize the same method we used in Neverland?” Emma asked.

“Of course not,” Regina huffed, rolling her eyes. “In case you’ve forgotten, catching a flying monkey won’t be as easy as capturing a Lost Boy. Besides, seeing as how scared Roland is, having one of those beasts get near enough to him to deliver a message would probably make it worse.

“No, I was thinking of something a bit simpler. You’ve already shown you can use mirror magic, so a simple teleportation spell should be easy.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“Robin, you still have Roland’s toy with you, right?”

“Of course,” Robin confirmed, holding up the spinning top.

“Good. Because Emma is going to send it to him.”

“I can do that?” Emma inquired in amazement.

“Yes, it’s a very simple spell.”

“That’s brilliant!” Robin stated, his despair melting away. “If we can get this to Roland…”

“He’ll know that his father is here, and that help is coming,” Regina concluded.

Setting the plan into action, Robin placed the spinning top on a nearby table and stepped back. Internally hoping the plan would actually work, Emma once again closed her eyes and focused on the task at hand.

* * *

Miles away, Roland continued to pick at the food he’d been given. He knew he had to eat, and the growling in his stomach only drove that fact home even more. But he still couldn’t bring himself to do so. All he wanted was to be back home in Sherwood Forest. He missed listening to Friar Tuck’s endless jokes, and Little John’s stories about their adventures, and Alan-a-Dale’s songs. Most of all, he missed his father.

Just as Roland began to feel even more homesick, a strange sound caught his attention. Looking up, he noticed a small object had suddenly appeared before him. The sight of the object confused the boy, as he was sure it hadn’t been there a moment ago. Curiously getting the better of him, he reached out and picked the object up. The moment he got a good look at it, his eyes widened in amazement. It was his spinning top! He’d recognize it anywhere. It even had the small ‘R’ engraved in one side.

As Roland stared at the top, he tried to remember where he had it last. He knew he hadn’t had it on him before. Seconds later, he remembered how his father had pocketed it before they’d gone out hunting for dinner. If his top was here now, that meant….his father was here, too!

With that thought resonating in his mind, Roland felt his courage returning. His father was here. And that meant he was sure to find him. For the first time in the past few days, a wide smile appeared on Roland’s face. Feeling his appetite returning, Roland began to eat the turkey and bread in front of him in earnest. If his father was on his way to rescue him, it was important for him to keep his strength up. At least, that’s what Little John would have told him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You've probably noticed I skipped a bit during the scenes with David and his doppelganger, as well as Emma's first official 'magic lesson.' That was mainly because those scenes would have played out the same way as they had in canon. I figured the chapter was long enough without rehashing scenes we've already seen in the actual episodes.
> 
> Also, I'm wondering if anyone can guess who Mr. Luscinia's was supposed to be. As for the bit about a nightingale being used in a spell, that was a reference to King's Quest 2.


	8. The Countdown Begins

Belle looked up from the iced tea she was drinking when she heard someone speak her name. As such, she saw Jefferson entering Granny’s, with a smiling Grace at his side.

“Jefferson, Grace!” Belle greeted warmly. “It’s nice to see you.”

“Are you okay? Jefferson asked, concern evident on his face. “We heard about the break in.”

“Oh, yes, I’m fine. Thank you for asking. Thankfully, I wasn’t there when it happened. I guess it was a good thing I stayed over last night, wasn’t it?”

Jefferson was about to reply to that when they heard the sound of a person letting out a sound of surprise. Glancing over, they saw Neal and Henry had just walked in from the bathrooms, the former looking right at them.

“Hi Henry,” Grace said.

“Oh, hello,” Henry replied.

“You set for the math test, today?” In response to her question, Henry made a face.

“The Wicked Witch is out there, turning people into flying monkeys. Do we _really_ have to still go to school?”

“I think, until it’s decided otherwise, it will be best to keep things as normal as possible,” Belle pointed out. “And that probably means school.”

“Come on, then,” Jefferson instructed. “Let’s get you both to the bus stop.” Before leaving, however, Jefferson once again turned back to Belle. “By the way, thanks again for watching Grace for me.”

“It was no trouble,” Belle insisted with a smile, which Jefferson returned effortlessly. “I’d be more than happy to do so again.”

Once Jefferson left with Grace and Henry, Neal took a seat next to Belle.

“So,” he began, cutting to the chase. “Is there something going on between the two of you?” Hearing an underlying tone in his question, Belle immediately frowned.

“Jefferson has become a very good friend,” she stated. “And he’s been helping me go through a lot of the items in Gold’s shop.”

“Hey, I help you with that, too. When I can.”

“Yes, I know. And I appreciate it. But Jefferson; he knows the story behind most of those items. He even helped him obtain some of them.” When Belle noticed the odd look on Neal’s face wasn’t going away, she went on. “Is there a reason why I _shouldn’t_ try to make new friends?”

“No, of course not!” Neal insisted quickly. “I mean, as long as that’s _all_ it is.”

“What’s _that_ supposed to mean?”

“My father only died four months ago,” Neal pointed out. “It just…seems a little soon for you to be…you know… moving on.”

“Thank you for your concern,” Belle stated, gathering up her things. “But even if there _was_ something going on between Jefferson and me, that would be _my_ business, not yours.” Without another word, Belle turned and stormed out, leaving the visibly stunned Neal sitting alone.

“What did I say?” Neal asked, looking around to see if anyone had been sitting close enough to overhear their conversation. As a result, he found himself meeting Granny’s eyes as the elderly woman fixed him with an almost pitying glance.

“Boy, you’ve got a lot to learn about how to talk to a woman,” she commented before making her way over to another patron on the other side of the room, leaving him still feeling confused.

“Sounds like a tough break, there,” the dark haired man sitting in the next booth said, turning around in his seat to address Neal. “Name’s Walsh. I couldn’t help overhearing, and you have my sympathy. It’s never easy to see your almost-stepmother start showing interest in another man.”

“I just think it might be disrespectful to my father,” Neal explained with a shrug. “He may not have been the best father, especially after he started using magic, and I’ll never understand how he could just let me fall through that portal, even though I know he regretted it. But he gave his life for his family. For me and for Belle."

“It sounds as if you’re regretting not getting more time with him,” Walsh noted.

“Yeah, it would have been nice to completely clear the air,” Neal agreed. “And perhaps he could have helped us, now. This Zelena was apparently taught by him, too. So, he’d probably know how we could defeat her. But he’s gone, and there’s no way to contact him.” With a heavy sigh, Neal took a drink from the water glass Granny had placed in front of him in passing.

“What if….there _was_ a way?” Walsh asked. “Back in the Enchanted Forest, I was a bit of a traveler. And I heard stories.”

“What sort of stories?” Neal inquired, his curiosity suddenly piqued.

“Well, have you ever heard of the Vault of the Dark One?”

* * *

Robin was in much better spirits when they’d returned to town after leaving Regina’s vault. While it was clear he was still worried about his son, the knowledge that Roland was unharmed and now knew his father was near had helped alleviate his troubled mind a great deal. Nevertheless, by the time they’d left him with Granny, who agreed to help set him up with a room, and Regina had announced that she was heading home, Emma found she really needed to unwind. As such, she began to make her way to the Rabbit Hole.

As she reached the entrance to the local bar, she saw another person walking in the same direction. It wasn’t until he’d turned to face her that she was able to recognize him.

“Oh, Emma!” Walsh said, his face lightning up when he noticed her.

“Hey, Walsh, right? Sorry again for hitting you with that door yesterday.”

“No, don’t worry about it. No harm done.” Emma smiled politely and began to continue into the Rabbit Hole, but stopped when Walsh began talking again. “Actually, I was hoping to run into you, today.”

“You were? Did someone else turn up missing, or….?”

“No, nothing like that. It’s not business related. I know this might seem like it’s coming out of nowhere, but…I was hoping to buy you a drink.”

“A drink?” Emma blinked in surprise.

“You do so much for the town,” Walsh pointed out. “You broke the curse and helped save the town twice since then. I thought it was high time someone expressed their gratitude.”

“Oh. Well, I’m grateful for the offer, but… it’s probably not the best time.”

“Hey, I understand. Maybe when this whole mess with the Wicked Witch is over,” Walsh said with a casual shrug. Without another word, Walsh entered into the Rabbit Hole. Emma followed after him soon afterwards, still a bit taken aback by his offer.

* * *

Regina cautiously scanned the area around the farmhouse, trying to see any sign of movement in the fading light of the sunset. She knew she was doing something risky, but she still had to try. Little Roland might be safe for the time being, but the fact remained that Zelena wanted him for something, and it was irritating Regina that she didn’t know what that something was. Besides, it was high time that she had a little chat with her sister.

Once she was sure that there was no sign of moment nearby, Regina stepped out into the open and began to cross over to the farmhouse

“Well, this is a nice surprise, Sis,” Zelena said, appearing behind her. “And I was just about to pay _you_ a visit.” While Regina was startled by Zelena’s sudden appearance, she managed to hide it. Instead, she turned to face her calmly.

“What could you _possibly_ be planning to do with the little boy?” Regina demanded, cutting right to the chase. “What are you trying to do, Zelena?”

“Are you telling me you don’t even have a _guess_? I’m disappointed, Regina,” Zelena commented.

“Well, you haven’t been very forthcoming,” Regina pointed out. “All I know is that you have a chip on your shoulder because Mother chose to keep me instead of you, and how Rumpelstiltskin picked me to cast his curse. If you want to take it up with anyone, you should take it up with them. Only problem is, they’re both dead.”

“Oh, that doesn’t matter,” Zelnea said. “See, while you’re standing here, trying to figure everything out, I’m already working on the final steps. Which means you’re already out of time.”

Eyes flashing in irritation, Regina prepared to launch a fireball, but the moment the fire formed, Zelena raised a hand and extinguished the flame without batting an eye. Before Regina could recover, Zelena was magically lifting her into the air, trapping her in a choke hold.

“You can’t beat me, Little Sis. Everything Rumpelstiltskin taught you, he taught me, too. But _I_ was the better student.” With that, Regina was blown backwards, slamming into the ground with such force, the wind was temporarily knocked out of her. In an instant, Zelena was standing over her.

“What are you waiting for?” Regina hissed, still trying to catch her breath. “Kill me.”

“I never said I wanted to kill you. I said I wanted to _destroy_ you. And to do that I need your heart.” Without further preamble, Zelena thrust her hand into Regina’s chest. But after a moment, she withdrew her hand, staring at it in shock. There was nothing there.

“Where is it?” Zelena demanded, glaring at Regina.

“My mother taught me one thing,” Regina replied with a smirk. “Never bring your heart to a witch fight. Something you’d know if she hadn’t _abandoned_ you.”

Before Zelena could respond to that taunt, an arrow suddenly flew by, planting itself into the ground a few inches away.

“That was a warning shot,” Robin announced, stepping into view with his bow drawn. “I warn you, Zelena. An arrow fired from this bow doesn’t miss its target.” Zelena scowled as she backed away, shooting daggers at the pair of them.

“You haven’t won, Regina! I will get your heart! I will get everything you ever had!” With that, Zelena disappeared in a cloud of green smoke.

“Are you all right?” Robin asked, approaching Regina as she got to her feet again.

“I’m fine. What are you doing here?”

“It dawned on me after we parted ways that I never actually thanked you for the part you played this afternoon. While Emma may have been the one to get past Zelena’s barrier, allowing me to see my son, the idea had been yours. But when I reached your mansion, I saw you slipping away. I was worried about you, so I followed in case you needed assistance.” Regina was visibly stunned by his consideration, but she didn’t say anything. “So, Zelena was after your heart?”

“It appears so,” Regina nodded, beginning to walk back towards town, with Robin following her. “Thankfully, I took the measure to hide it before I approached the farmhouse. But now, I’m left with even more questions. She has Charming’s courage, and she wants my heart. Those are ingredients. But for what, I cannot say. And I’m at a loss as to how Roland fits into this.”

The pair walked in silence for a while, both deep in thought as they tried to piece everything together.

“So, where _did_ you hide your heart?” Robin finally asked, breaking the silence.

“Right here,” Regina said, approaching an old, rotting tree stump. Crouching down, she dug around in the dirt and unearthed her heart, which she slipped into a small satchel. “Now that I know Zelena is after my heart, I’m going to have to make sure she doesn’t get it. The question is, where to hide it? Certainly not my vault. That’ll be the first place Zelena will look.” After a momentary pause of contemplation, Regina turned to face Robin, carefully handing the satchel over to him. “Perhaps _you_ should hold on to it for me. If what happened back at the farmhouse proved anything, it’s that it’ll be safest under your watch.” Robin’s eyes widened in mild disbelief as he accepted the satchel containing Regina’s heart.

“You’re really going to entrust something so valuable to a common thief like me?”

“You can’t steal something that’s been given to you,” Regina pointed out with a brief smile.

* * *

Emma was sitting at a lone table in the corner of the bar, the whisky sour she’d ordered sitting untouched in front of her. She had no idea why she felt so awkward ordering a whisky-based drink. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t had whisky before. Before Henry had reentered her life, it had always been her drink of choice. Even after she’d settled into Storybrooke, it was her main preference; she still kept a bottle of MacCutcheon back at the loft. But tonight, when she ordered her whisky sour, the words felt strange on her tongue. Even as she sat there racking her brains over it, a tiny voice in the back of her mind seemed to know the reason why ordering whisky felt unusual to her now. For the past few months, she seemed to have developed a liking for a different type of alcoholic spirit.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she sensed someone standing next to her. Glancing up, she found herself looking at a smiling Ruby, who was holding a martini cocktail.

“Hey, Emma,” she greeted. “Do you mind if I sit here? The only available seats are up at the bar, and…. well, Adam’s here tonight.”

“I take it we don’t like Adam?” Emma asked, gesturing to the vacant chair next to her in invitation.

“No, it’s nothing like that,” Ruby explained, taking the offered chair. “But…Adam was Billy’s best friend.”

“Billy? You mean the guy who was….?” Emma trailed off, not wanting to actually come out and say it.

“Yeah, _that_ Billy,” Ruby confirmed. “Turns out, Adam was Jaq back in the Enchanted Forest, so they were friends even before the curse hit. So, when Billy died….”

“Ruby, you know that wasn’t your fault,” Emma reasoned.

“I know I wasn’t the one who killed him. I know that was Spencer, trying to frame me in order to discredit David. But he could have killed _anyone_ in Storybrooke. And he chose Billy. I know, deep down, it was because he’d seen Billy try to ask me out earlier that evening. So, even if I didn’t actively kill him, I’m still partially responsible. And that makes it hard to even look Adam in the eye.” Unable to think of a proper response to that, Emma could only place a compassionate hand on Ruby’s shoulder. Ruby responded by giving Emma a grateful smile, but her expression shifted when she glanced over Emma’s shoulder.

“Oh! Hi, Hook,” she greeted. Emma immediately spun around in surprise. Sure enough, Hook was walking up to their table.

“Evening, ma’am,” Hook returned Ruby’s greeting politely. But his gaze was focused on Emma, concern filling his eyes.

“Where have you been all day?” Emma blurted out before she could stop herself, a strong note of accusation filling her tone. Still, she really did want to know the answer. She hadn’t seen him since the séance last night. For a brief moment, she noticed a hint of irritated anger flash across his face, but it was gone in the next second.

“My crew and I were down by the giant’s bean field,” he explained. “I thought it would be a prudent to post guards around the place; keep the flying monkeys from stealing any more beans. If things take a turn for the worst, we might need some magic beans handy to evacuate the town.”

“You…thought of that on your own?” Emma gaped, sincerely surprised by his action.

“Well, the giant, Anton, seems to be permanently human sized, so he can’t really be expected to guard the whole bean field by himself, can he? Mind you, me crew needed some convincing.”

“That was really thoughtful of you,” Ruby said, casting a playful smile at Emma.

“Yeah,” Emma agreed, her expression still frozen.

“Swan, I….” Hook began, glancing down nervously. “I was wondering if you were doing all right. The news your parents gave you last night couldn’t have been easy…”

“Hook,” Emma cut in, looking away. “There’s no need to play the part of the concerned friend. We’re teammates. Nothing more. So let’s just keep things between us professional, all right?” It took a long time for Hook to reply. So long that Emma had to glance back up just to see if he was still standing there. As a result, she saw the deeply wounded look he was giving her.

“If that’s how it has to be,” he agreed finally. Without another word, he turned and made his way over to the bar.

“What was _that_ about?” Ruby asked once he was out of earshot.

“It’s nothing,” Emma insisted, downing her drink in one gulp, needing to feel the burn of the alcohol going down her throat.

“It didn’t _look_ like nothing,” Ruby pointed out. “Did you two have a fight?” Emma sighed heavily, and focused her gaze on her now-empty glass.

After a momentary pause, Ruby placed a hand on Emma’s arm, which made her look up again.

“Emma,” Ruby said, slightly swirling her drink. “I realize you and I haven’t spent much time together lately, but before the curse broke, we were on the way to becoming friends. _Good_ friends. And you know, if things had gone the way they were supposed to, I would have been your godmother. I know that probably doesn’t mean too much now, but…I hope you know that you can always come to me.”

Emma’s shoulders slumped slightly, Ruby’s words sinking in. Even so, it was only because her nerves were stretched to the breaking point that Emma relented and began explaining everything that had happened, including why she and Hook were now at odds with each other. When everything was out in the open, Ruby could only stare in stunned silence.

“So…you’re mad at him…because you overheard him having sex with somebody in the next room?” Ruby commented, trying to see if she’d understood correctly. “I thought you said you weren’t involved with each other.”

“We weren’t,” Emma insisted. “But what kind of guy vows to win your heart and then turns around and sleeps with some random woman?”

“Well, did you give him any indication beforehand that you were interested in him, too?” Ruby asked. “At the end of the day, Hook is still a man, and he’s probably going to act like every other man. You can’t expect the guy to wait forever for you to make up your mind, can you?”

Before Emma could come up with a response, they were interrupted by the sound of Ruby’s cellphone going off, which she answered after checking the caller ID.

“Sorry, Emma, but I have to get back to the diner,” she said after ending the call. “Ashley just called in. Alexandra’s got an ear infection, so she has to take her to the doctor.” Emma could only nod in understanding. She was too deep in thought to form a verbal response.

Even after Ruby had left, Emma simply continued to sit there stewing. She understood what Ruby had been trying to say, and her mother’s old friend did have a point; she really _hadn’t_ given Hook any reason to think that she might have been interested in taking their….friendship…to the next level. But this rationale was part of the whole problem. Ruby was right. Most guys _wouldn’t_ have waited around for her to make up her mind. But deep down, Emma had been hoping that Hook would be different. She’d been hoping that he wouldn’t turn out to be like everyone else.

Letting out a long sigh, Emma internally berated herself for letting Hook get under her skin. Things had been so much easier before, when she hadn’t let her emotions get in the way. Back when the only promise she ever made with men was the promise of one night. It was an arrangement that had worked for both of them. It had been safe and free of emotional ties. Maybe…maybe _that_ was the real problem. Maybe she shouldn’t have _stopped_ using that arrangement.

As her thoughts began to stray into that territory, she glanced over at the bar. As a result, her eyes happened to zero in on Walsh, who was sitting at the far end of the bar, currently finishing his beer. Immediately, she began to toy with the idea. He _had_ offered to buy her a drink. And there was very little danger of them running into each other on a regular basis. All things considered, he seemed like a likely candidate.

Before she could change her mind, Emma was crossing the room and making her way over to him.

“Hey,” Emma greeted, taking a seat in the empty bar stool next to him.

“Hello, Emma,” Walsh greeted, smiling warmly at her. “What’s going on?”

“Well, I gave it some thought,” Emma said. “Is your offer of a drink still open?”

“Of course!” Walsh exclaimed eagerly. “What will it be?”

As Walsh went about ordering drinks for them both, Emma suddenly felt somebody’s eyes on her. On impulse, she turned to glance down the bar and immediately spotted Hook, who was looking right back at her. The expression on his face made Emma’s breath catch in her throat. She never could have imagined anyone could look that… Emma struggled to think of a word that could give that look justice, but the best she could come up with was pure devastation. Unable to continue staring, Emma forced herself to turn away, focusing her attention on Walsh and reminding herself that Hook had no reason to act like she was breaking his heart. After all, he had no qualms about participating in one night stands himself. Why couldn’t she do the same?

* * *

Belle made her way through the library in preparation for closing time, turning off lights and making sure everything was straightened up as she went. Jefferson and Grace were going to stop by in a few minutes. She was once again staying over with them, but this was probably the last time. When she had been having dinner, she’d run into her father. It had been the first time they’d seen each other in months, so the encounter was quite awkward. Despite the awkwardness, Belle couldn’t deny that she had missed him, and she’d agreed to his request to meet for lunch tomorrow afternoon. Depending on how that lunch went, she might end up staying with her father for a while.

As Belle headed over to the circulation desk to make sure the computer was turned off, she happened to glance over at the nearby reading table and saw a good number of books had been left out. Wondering how she’d missed them during her initial scan for unshelved books, she walked over to clean up the small mess. But when she reached the table, she stopped upon noticing an envelope bearing her name, which had been left lying atop an open book. In curiosity, she opened the envelope and read the note inside.

_Belle, I’m sorry for not cleaning up and leaving your books lying out, but I thought it was best to leave right away. I think I found a way to solve the current problem and defeat Zelena. I met a new friend this morning, named Walsh. He was a traveler back in the Enchanted Forest. He told me there was a way I could bring my father back. Since he’s the one who taught Zelena magic, he probably knows how to defeat her. So of course, I have to try. Only thing is, it involves me going back into the Enchanted Forest and locating the Vault of the Dark One. I managed to locate a map to the place in your book. Sorry for tearing out the page. When I get back, with my father at my side, I’ll put it back in._

Belle’s mouth was opened in shocked horror as she read the letter. Neal was going to try to bring Rumpelstiltskin back? Was that even possible? Visibly stunned, Belle turned to look down at the book that had been left out and saw that it had been written in Latin. Immediately, Belle picked up the book and began to read what it said. As she deciphered what it was saying, the horror on her face grew even more pronounced.

At that moment, the light from a car’s headlights began to shine through the door. Looking up from the book, Belle saw the car she recognized as Jefferson’s pulling over in front of the library. In a flash, she was running out the door.

“Jefferson!” she cried. “Jefferson, help!”

* * *

Discarded clothes littered the floor and the arm of the wicker chair in Room 4 at Granny’s. Emma was thankful she’d forgotten to return the room key to Granny yet. It made it much easier for her and Walsh to sneak in without running into anyone. While she was still willing to go through with this, she didn’t need the whole town to know about it.

A soft moan of approval slipped out of her throat as she lay back on the bed, clad only in a lacy bra and matching panties. Her fingers were knotted in the shirtless Walsh’s hair, tugging his head closer as he placed heavy, sloppy kisses down her neck and shoulder. As he migrated downwards, past her cleavage and down to her waist, Emma began to claw at Walsh’s back, lifting her hips up off the bed in an attempt to seek friction. Catching on, Walsh reached down to press the palm of his hand against her center. Immediately, Emma’s eyes slipped shut. The moment she did so, an image floated to the surface of her mind. Even though her eyes were closed, she could clearly see a pair of piercing blue eyes fixed on her face.

Emma’s eyes snapped open as she let out a shocked gasp of surprise.

“What’s wrong?” Walsh asked, looking up from his ministrations.

“N…nothing,” Emma muttered. “Just a muscle spasm.” Accepting that explanation, Walsh returned to his foreplay, now reaching out to cup her breasts, circling the peaks with his thumbs. Emma, trying to focus on the physical pleasure, shut her eyes again. Like before, she became plagued with the mental image of those same blue eyes. This time, they were accompanied by a painfully sad smile. All at once, a series of recalled memories flooded back to her. The burning sensation of rum being applied to the open wound on her hand, the taste of coconut milk on her tongue, the smell of seawater and worn leather….

“This is wrong,” Emma said, her eyes flying open again.

“Mmmm,” Walsh moaned, kissing Emma’s ear. “But if feels right, to me,” Huffing in frustration, Emma shoved him away and rolled out of bed in one movement. Without a second glance, Emma walked over to the chair and grabbed her sweater, pulling it back on.

“Hey, did I do something wrong?” Walsh asked, visibly confused.

“Walsh, I’m sorry,” Emma apologized. “I thought I could do this, but I can’t. I’m sorry I led you on and gave you the wrong idea. But I think its best we both go home and forget that this happened.” In response to this statement, Walsh simply nodded, an unreadable look on his face.

“It’s _him_ , isn’t it?”

“No, it’s not like that,” Emma insisted, realizing too late that Walsh hadn’t clarified who ‘ _him_ ’ was. “I just…realized I wasn’t ready for this, after all. I’m sorry.” Looking for something to distract herself from the awkwardness, she began to slip her jeans back on.

“And I’m sorry we couldn’t do this the easy way.”

“ _What_?” Emma frowned in confusion. She turned back around in time to see Walsh’s expression shift to a sinister snarl, with his eyes beginning to glow read. Without warning, he lunged for her. As Emma instinctively dodged out of the way, her eyes widened in alarm as she spotted what looked like a syringe in his hand. Because of her dodging in time, Walsh crashed into the wicker chair and toppled over it. A loud bang was heard as his body hit the wall, and a few knickknacks fell to the floor, shattering upon impact. Her adrenaline now going into overtime, Emma spun around to face her attacker, steeling herself for a second attempt. But she was not prepared for what happened next. Instead of seeing Walsh getting to his feet, she watched with growing alarm and shock as a winged monkey appeared from behind the tipped over chair.

“Really?” Emma exclaimed, reaching out and grabbing the nearest heavy object she could find, which ended up being the lamp atop the dresser. The flying monkey glared at Emma, baring his sharp fangs, and Emma braced herself, getting ready to smash the lamp over the monkey’s head the instant he was near enough. Before either one could make a move, however, the door to the room flew open. Emma and the monkey both turned towards the open door in unison, but they barely registered the face of the newcomer before a series of crossbow bolts were fired off, one of them embedding itself into the monkey’s wing. Under the assault of the crossbow, the flying monkey was forced to retreat, crashing through the window before flying off into the night.

“Emma!” Ruby cried, hurrying into the room, with Granny following close behind, her crossbow still at the ready. “We heard the crash all the way downstairs, and…. are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Emma said, her eyes still trained on the broken window as Granny crossed the room to look outside, scanning the night sky for any sign of the monkey circling back around. Nevertheless, Emma allowed Ruby to steer her to the side of the bed so she could sit down.

“Did it get you?” Granny asked, her tone all business.

“No, he didn’t get the chance,” Emma replied. “Thank you.”

Her heart still pounding in her chest from the excitement, Emma barely heard Granny and Ruby talking about heading out to track down the flying monkey. After all, Granny had hit it right in the wing, so he probably wouldn’t be able to get too far. Emma’s thoughts didn’t come into focus again until her eyes fell upon the syringe on the floor. Realizing Walsh must have dropped it in the turmoil, Emma forced herself back to her feet, ignoring Ruby and Granny instructing her not to. They were clearly worried she’d go into shock. Upon picking up the syringe, Emma immediately noticed the contents were glowing with a faint green color and she quickly grew concerned. This didn’t contain rohypnol or other such tranquilizer. So what had Walsh been planning to do?

“Guys, thanks for being concerned about me,” Emma stated, turning to face them. “But I’ll be fine, really. I need to get over to Regina’s place. Hopefully, she’ll be able to identify what Walsh was trying to inject me with.”

“Ruby, go with her,” Granny insisted. “I know you say you’re all right, Emma, but I’d feel better if you didn’t go over there alone. That monkey might come back to get a second shot at you.”

In the end, Emma reluctantly agreed, deciding that humoring Granny was the least she could do, considering she’d probably just saved her life. As Emma and Ruby made their way down the stairs, they nearly ran into Hook, who appeared to have been in the process of racing up the stairwell.

“Swan!” he cried upon seeing her. “What the blazes was that? I was passing by and saw the flying monkey flying through the window!”

Emma, in spite of her best efforts, could only stare at him, visibly shocked by his sudden appearance. All she could do was think about how it had been his eyes that kept appearing in her mind during her failed attempt at a one night stand. The thought of that fact scared her, as if she knew perfectly well what her subconscious was trying to tell her.

Fear filling his expression at Emma’s silence, Hook turned to Ruby, who explained everything as best as she could. When she was done, Hook’s stood unmoving, his mouth agape as he tried to process everything Ruby had just said. Walsh? The man he’d watched Emma leaving the bar with? He was a flying monkey? And he tried to drug her?

“Swan, did he hurt you?” he asked, focusing on keeping the mounting rage out of his tone.

“Does it matter?” Emma snapped as the past hour began to play back in her memory.

“Humor me.”

“Yes, but not in the way you’re thinking,” Emma admitted. “You want to know what happened, Hook? It was a reminder that men are _never_ who they say they are. Neal promises me a home and a future, but then immediately turns around and sends me to jail for his crime, all because Pinocchio told him that it was for my own good. Walsh, big surprise, turns out to be one of Zelena’s flying monkeys who was planning to drug me with something. And then, there’s _you_.”

“Emma, what happened that night….” Hook began, bowing his head.

“I told you, I don’t want to hear it!” Emma insisted stubbornly. Without another word, Emma continued on her way, leaving Hook rooted to the spot, gazing after her in sorrow, with Ruby giving him a sympathetic look as she followed after Emma.

After the two women were out of sight, a despondent Hook slowly left the building to head off in the other direction. He’d barely reached the main stretch of road when he heard the sound of people calling out to him. He immediately turned around to see Jefferson and Belle running up, fear and alarm on their faces.

“Belle? Jefferson? What’s wrong?”

“It’s Neal,” Belle explained the moment she reached his side. “He’s gone into the Enchanted Forest! He’s going to try and resurrect his father!”

“He’s _what_?”

“He thinks it’s the only way we can defeat Zelena, since he was the one who taught her magic,” Jefferson spoke up.

“But he’s walking into a trap!” Belle continued. “He plans to initiate a ritual at the Vault of the Dark One. But the book that talks about the vault states the Dark One will only be restored in exchange for another life.”

“If Neal tries to bring Mr. Gold back this way,” Jefferson concluded, “ _he’ll_ die.”

“Bloody Hell,” Hook growled. “Why would he ever do something like _that_?!”

“I don’t think he realizes it,” Belle stated as the three began to hurry down the street, heading in the direction of the bean field. “The book that explains it is written in Latin. I don’t think he ever got the chance to learn.”

“No, he didn’t,” Hook agreed. “I suppose that’s _my_ fault. I should have at least introduced him to the language when I had the chance. But I thought I’d have plenty of time to begin those lessons. But if he couldn’t read the bloody book explaining all of this, where’d he come up with the idea in the first place?”

“His letter stated that he got the idea from someone who had been a traveler back in the Enchated Forest. He said his name was Walsh.”

“Wait! _Walsh_?” Hook cried out in alarm. “He said _Walsh_ put the idea into his head?”

“Yes, that’s right. Why?”

“Walsh, it turns out, is one of Zelena’s flying monkeys. No doubt he was sent by Zelena to be her spy.”

“But that would mean…. Zelena _wants_ Neal to try and resurrect Mr. Gold,” Jefferson realized. “Why?”

“Whatever her reasons, it can’t be good. Which means we have to stop him, before it’s too late.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the cliffhanger, but I'd always planned on ending this chapter here. From this point onward, things are going to be moving pretty quickly. I hope I didn't chase anyone away with the brief Emma/Walsh scene. Believe me, it was necessary. 
> 
> Also, I'm sorry to the people who like Zelena's character, as you're probably noticing she's not in this story that much. I realized while writing this chapter that I don't particularly like writing her, as it's a bit difficult to portray her as something more than a standard, textbook villain, especially when there's no Lost Year subplot going on. There's only so many times you can have her bemoan about how Regina got everything before she starts looking like an adult Jan Brady.


	9. Restitution

"You're certain there aren't any more beans?" Hook persisted, clearly hoping for a different answer.

"I already told you," Anton replied. "While there are bean pods forming, it takes time for the beans to mature. Your friend, Neal, took the only two beans that were ready. One for the trip there, and the other to come back to Storybrooke." In frustration, Hook spun around to glower at his crewmates, who were standing nearby.

"Why didn't any of _you_ stop him?" The three pirates looked down at their feet, visibly chastened.

"With all due respect, Sir," Smee replied, gathering the courage to speak, "You tasked us with helping the giant guard the bean field against the flying monkeys. Your orders didn't include keeping the people from town from using the beans."

"And Bae…well, _Neal_ ; he said he needed the beans in order to stop the Wicked Witch," Billy added. "We thought that was a good reason to let him go." Hook turned away in disgust, muttering to himself. Deep down, he knew his crew were right. He really _hadn't_ said anything about preventing anyone from using the beans. It wouldn't be fair to punish them for not trying to stop Neal. How could they have known the man was doing something foolhardy?

"Just get back to your posts," Hook finally ordered, waving his hand in dismissal as he turned and walked off to rejoin Jefferson and Belle, who were waiting at the edge of the field.

"He _really_ took the last beans?" Jefferson grumbled. "How are we supposed to reach Neal in time?"

"I don't know," Hook admitted, running a hand through his hair in pure frustration as his jaw started to clench. After a brief second, however, Belle's expression shifted into one of cautious hope.

"I think _I_ know someone who could help," she realized. "Jefferson, how fast do you think you can drive us to the harbor?"

* * *

Less than 15 minutes later, the trio were in the den of the seaside cottage where Eric and Ariel now lived, sitting across from the couple in question.

"I know this is might seem like a rather big favor that we're asking," Belle said, wrapping up her explanation. "But if we don't stop Neal in time, not only will he die, but Rumpelstiltskin will be resurrected, and Zelena will undoubtedly use that to her advantage." Briefly, Ariel and Eric shared a look, but then Ariel turned back to face her friend, sadly shaking her head.

"Belle, believe me, I do want to help you," she said. "I haven't forgotten how you helped me locate Eric in Storybrooke. But…I'm afraid I can't take you to the Enchanted Forest after Neal."

"But you're a bloody mermaid," Hook pointed out, ignoring the angry look Eric was giving him, clearly not liking the tone he was using with Ariel. "Belle said you can travel between worlds. You did so back in Neverland, when you brought Pandora's Box."

"Yes, I know," Ariel confirmed. "But the problem is, to get to the Enchanted Forest from Storybrooke, I'd have to swim through deep waters, miles away from shore. From what I know of humans, you wouldn't be able to hold your breath long enough. If I tried to take you with me through an underwater portal, you'd probably all drown before we even made it halfway."

"Ariel," Eric spoke up, an idea coming to him. "What if _you_ went after Neal yourself? You could get there in plenty of time."

"It's possible," Ariel agreed. "But I doubt he'll listen to me. I barely even _know_ Neal. We only caught a glimpse of each other one time, when everyone returned from Neverland."

"So, is that it?" Belle asked in mounting despair. "Are we just supposed to give up and wait here, completely powerless while Neal…" Belle trailed off, unable to finish that thought.

"No," Jefferson stated after a very long pause. "No, it's not over yet. Ariel may not be able to take us through a portal, but there's someone else who _could_. The only problem is, he…isn't in Storybrooke. Because of that, it's next to impossible to contact him. But you, Ariel? _You_ could take one of your underwater portals to the land he _is_ in and ask him to come here. Would you do that?"

"Of course!" Ariel agreed without hesitation. "Who is it you want me to find?"

* * *

Hook, Jefferson and Belle waited in silence along the coastline, everyone far too anxious to say anything. Ariel had swam off not that long ago, and while they all knew mermaids were fast swimmers, they were still left wondering how long they'd have to wait. No one even dared to verbalize what they were all fearing. That Ariel would have trouble navigating the land Jefferson had sent her to, as she'd never visited it before. Or that it was already too late, and Neal had already reached the Vault of the Dark One.

Just as their nerves were reaching the breaking point, the ground began to shake, as if an earthquake had started. Seconds later, a loud explosion was heard as a gaping hole appeared out of nowhere a few feet away. Both Hook and Belle started in surprise, but Jefferson's expression remained unaffected, as if he'd seen this happen before. As the dust began to clear, a figure came into view, casually polishing a pair of rose-tinted spectacles.

"Ah, hello, Hatter. Long time, no see," the portal jumper said upon noticing Jefferson.

"Hello, Rabbit," Jefferson said, returning the greeting.

* * *

Neal trudged his way through the woods, occasionally checking his location by consulting the map he'd taken from Belle's book in the light from his torch. While he had to go out of his way to visit Rumpelstiltskin's castle, it had been relatively easy to locate the book that Walsh had described from the stories, along with the key hidden inside it. Just when he started to wonder if he was reading the map correctly, he found himself at the edge of a clearing. There, in the middle of the mossy clearing, was a circular stone seal. Upon closer inspection, he saw that the seal was adorned with a series of carved symbols, one of which was a triangle. Noticing the same symbol appeared on the key in his hand, Neal knelt down next to the seal, reaching out to insert the key into the center.

"Neal, _STOP_!" Upon hearing the alarmed voice crying out, Neal started to look over, but before he could turn completely around, someone grabbed him from behind and roughly dragged him away from the seal. The moment Neal started to try to wrestle himself away, the unseen person released him without hesitation. This time, Neal was able to turn around and saw the person who had dragged him back had been Hook. To his further surprise, Belle and Jefferson were also standing nearby.

"Stop this, Neal," Hook instructed, holing out his hand in expectation. "Just give me the key. Don't be foolish."

"What are you three doing here?" Neal demanded, ignoring Hook's request.

"Neal, you can't do this!" Belle beseeched. "You _can't_ resurrect Rumple."

"What are you talking about? With my father's help, we can stop Zelena." 

"You don't understand," Jefferson stepped in. "The person who told you about all this? About the vault and the ritual to bring Rumpelstiltskin back?"

"Yeah, Walsh," Neal said. "What about him?"

"He's a monkey. One of Zelena's flying monkeys. Zelena must have sent him into town as a spy," Belle explained.

"But then why would he tell me how to…."

"Think about it, Neal," Hook stated. "Why _would_ Zelena have one of her monkeys try and convince you to bring back the Dark One? It's because she _wants_ you to bring him back. For whatever reason, she _needs_ him for something. Bringing him back will be _helping_ Zelena, not hindering her."

"Hook's right," Belle agreed. "Rumple didn't sacrifice his life for good so he could return to be an instrument for evil." Neal paused for a moment, as if considering what he was being told, but then a set expression appeared on his face.

"My father is the king of loopholes. I'm sure he'll figure out a way to deal with her." With that, Neal began to step back towards the stone seal.

"Neal, wait!" Belle cried beseechingly. "You don't understand! The book you found the map in contained a warning: ' _the vault will only restore the Dark One in exchange for another life_.' If you bring Rumpelstiltskin back this way, then _you'll_ die." After another pause, Neal turned to look back at Belle, but the skepticism on his face showed he didn't believe her.

"You know, I'm surprised that you, of all people, would be that desperate to talk me out of it," Neal commented. "I would have thought you'd _want_ him back. Don't you?"

"I…." Belle stammered, at a loss for words.

"You know what I think, Belle?" Neal asked, side-eying Jefferson. "I think you'd _prefer_ it if you didn't get to see my father again." Belle immediately let out a shocked gasp at the accusation. In a flash, Hook grabbed Neal by his shoulder and spun him around to face him.

"Bloody Hell, Neal," Hook snarled, his eyes flashing with irritation. "When did you get this short sighted? Are you _really_ that much of a fool that you'd put your trust in the words of a man you only met this morning? Over the people who actually know and care about you?" Without warning, Neal lunged forward, aggressively punching Hook in the face. The unexpected attack made Hook stumble back a few steps, grunting in pain. Belle, jumping in shock, instinctively stepped forward to try and break up the fight, but a wide-eyed Jefferson reached out and grabbed her arm, holding her back.

"And I'm supposed to trust _you_?" Neal growed. "I haven't forgotten, Hook. I remember what you did to me in Neverland, when you let Felix take me prisoner."

"You think I don't regret that?" Hook exclaimed. "It was one of the biggest regrets of my life, and I'd give _anything_ to take it back. But I also had my crew to think about. If I tried to stop them from taking you, then Pan would have killed us all. And I _knew_ you were never in danger after that day. I'd asked Tink to keep an eye on you for me. If you were ever harmed or threatened, she would have told me, and I would have stepped in."

"Don't pretend like you _ever_ gave a damn about me!" Neal shouted. "I was just a means to an end to you."

"If that was true, I _never_ would have risked my life returning to Neverland to help save your son. I wouldn't have turned my ship around and simply continued on with that bean. But I _did_ turn around, and took everyone to Neverland to help rescue Henry from that bloody demon, Pan. It was my attempt at making up for my actions that day."

"Don't give me that! We both know you were only trying to get on Emma's good side," Neal accused, rolling his eyes.

"Neal," Hook began, a note of weariness in his voice. But Neal interrupted him before he could say another word.

"Why'd you have to go and set your sights on Emma, anyway?" he yelled. "Hadn't you done enough by running off with my mother?" The moment these words were spoken, a defining silence fell as the two men simply stared at one another. It was only then that Hook realized that Neal's face wasn't twisted up with rage, but with misery.

"So. _That's_ what this is really about, isn't it?"

"She just left," Neal whispered, pain lacing his tone. "She left and ran off with you. Without saying a _word_ to me."

"Neal," Hook spoke gently, a compassionate look on his face. "I told you a long time ago that your mother regretted what she did, and I meant every word. She felt so guilty, there some nights when she'd even cry herself to sleep."

"Yeah, I heard this story," Neal huffed. "And you and my mother talked about coming back for me when I was older. I've had hundreds of years on Neverland to think about that, and I figured it out. You might have _planned_ on coming back, but it was all talk. You never seriously considered it, did you? Otherwise, you would have showed up at least once." Hook bowed his head, appearing conflicted about something, until….

"We did," he finally confessed. "We…we _did_ come back for you."

"Oh, yeah, sure," Neal scoffed. "And when was this? Because I sure don't remember." For a moment, Hook didn't reply, or even move, but then he slowly looked back up, grief shining in his eyes.

**Flashback**

Because the Jolly Roger had been out at sea for quite some time, the whole crew were eager to reach port and visit the local tavern, among other places. So no one had seemed to notice that the port where they'd made berth was one that they hadn't gone near in quite a few years, especially not after they'd received the same orders they'd always received upon coming into port- to have the crew divide itself into groups, with each group venturing off the ship in stages to ensure the Jolly Roger wouldn't be left unguarded. In actuality, there were only three people on the ship that knew the real reason why this particular port had been chosen.

"Cap'n!" a member of the crew called out upon noticing that Killian had fallen back from the rest of the group that had been allowed to leave the ship first. "Are you not going to join us?"

"I'll join up with you later, mates!" Killian called back, a gigantic carefree smile on his face. "There's a matter of business I have to attend to, first." Accepting this without question, the crew continued on their way to the local tavern, leaving Killian alone with Milah, who was standing a few feet away. The moment the crew was out of sight, the grin on Killian's face vanished and he turned to face Milah, visible concern gracing his face.

"Milah," he spoke gently. "Are you _certain_ you wish to go on your own? I'd be more than willing to accompany you, if it will make it easier for you."

"Killian," Milah replied, reaching out to lovingly stroke his cheek, with him leaning into her touch. "You have no idea how much it means that you'd offer to do that for me. But…we both know we waited _far_ too long to do this. Right now, my concern shouldn't be my comfort. It should be _his comfort._ And having you present might overwhelm him. It might make him think he has to make the choice of coming with us on the spot. No, if there's one thing our adventures have made me realize, it's that it's time I showed a little bit of courage. Even if it means seeing my son, and asking for his forgiveness. Please understand, Killian. This is something I want… no, something I _have_ to do by myself."

"I understand," Killian said with a brief nod. "Just remember, if you need me…."

"I know where to find you," Milah stated, finishing his sentence. The pair shared a brief but tender kiss before Milah turned and headed off. But it was only when she was completely out of sight that Killian tore his eyes away and headed off towards the tavern where his crew were waiting.

"Where's my scurvy crew?" he called out as he entered the tavern.

"Ah! Here we be, Cap'n!"

* * *

As the Jolly Roger came into sight, the haunted look in Killian's eyes was replaced by hardened steel.

"Remember," he instructed the crew members who had been following him in somber silence. " _No one_ is to say a word about this to her."

"Cap'n…."

" _Not. One. Word,_ " Killian repeated, giving each man a challenging glare. Even as he said those words, the sinking feeling in his chest returned tenfold at the mere thought of Milah finding out what had occurred. Knowing her, she'd try to stop him from going to the duel, or would step in somehow. Regardless of what happened to him, he had to keep her safe.

Upon setting foot on deck, Killian immediately noticed something was amiss. A few members of the crew who had remained behind were standing guard over a heavyset man that had been bound and gagged. Immediately, Killian frowned, realizing he didn't recognize the captive.

"What's all this, then?" Killian demanded.

"Sir! We found this miserable dog sneaking around amongst our cargo," Robert Mullins announced. "When we searched him, we found he'd been trying to make off with the magic bean we'd pilfered from the Agrabahn merchant ship."

Killian, with a firm, no-nonsense expression designed to intimidate, stepped over to the prisoner, unsheathing his sword in the process. Taking note of the fact that the man's eyes had suddenly widened with fear, he allowed himself to display a sinister grin. With a well-controlled movement, Killian slowly dragged the gag away from the man's mouth with the tip of the blade.

"Tell me," he began. "Whatever compelled you to try and steal from _my_ ship?"

"Please, have mercy," the man begged. "I was only after the bean."

"What use does a man like yourself have for an old bean?"

"Nothing; nothing at all! It's the Dark One who seeks the magic bean. He promised I'd be rewarded if I delivered one to him."

Killian's jaw clenched instantly at those words, but he managed to mask his true reaction. If the Dark One was after a magic bean, and he had sent this would-be thief to obtain one from the Jolly Roger's stores, was it possible that the Dark One knew they'd had a magic bean in their possession? What if he came onto the ship to find it? That would mean he'd undoubtedly locate Milah. As that thought crossed his mind, he was overwhelmed by the desire to determine her whereabouts. He hadn't seen her on deck when they'd arrived. Had she not yet returned from her long-overdue talk with Baelfire? Trying to keep a mask on his growing panic, Killian turned his back on the prisoner.

"Take him below deck," he instructed his crew. "I'll deal with him later."

As the prisoner was once again gagged and dragged off, Killian's eyes scanned the deck until he caught sight of Starkey, standing up on the quarterdeck. Making sure to keep a calm air, Killian made his way over to him.

"Milah?" Killian inquired the moment he was close enough to engage in a whispered conversation.

"She arrived back an hour ago," Starkey said. "She's in your quarters, waiting for your return." Killian instantly frowned, detecting a subtle tremor in Starkey's voice, as if the man was troubled.

"Did something happen?" Killian questioned. "What's wrong, Starkey?" 

"I think its best that you go to her, Captain," Starkey replied with a heavy sigh. "You might be the only one who can console her." Feeling his heart sinking down to his stomach, Killian headed straight for the Captain's Quarters. As he headed down the ladder, his eyes immediately fell upon Milah, who was lying face down in bed. Right away, he noticed her body was shaking and realized she was sobbing. Throat too tight to speak, he stepped over to her side and knelt by the bed, reaching out to rub her back in comfort. The moment his hand made contact, Milah jerked upward, lifting her head up off the pillows to look at him. It was all Killian could do to keep from crying himself when he took in her tearstained face.

"Oh, Milah," he soothed. "What happened?" In a flash, Milah shot forward, wrapping her arms around Killian as she continued to sob.

"He's gone," she choked out. "Bae. We waited too long. He's gone."

"I'm sorry, Darling," Killian whispered, pulling her closer. "I'm so sorry. I can't imagine what you must be feeling right now. May I ask how it happened?"

"No, no. He's not dead," Milah clarified, wiping her eyes. "At least, I _hope_ he isn't. When I returned to that old hovel, it was deserted. It looked like it had been _months_ since anyone had set foot inside. When I was there, I happened across a young girl from the village, who had been friends with Bae since they could walk. She told me that…. Bae had been pulled out of this world, with a magic bean he got from Reul Ghorm. It took him to _another_ world. A world without magic." Killian remained silent as he took this in, thinking back to what the prisoner had said, about how the Dark One, the man he now knew had been Milah's husband, was looking for a magic bean. Was this why? So he could go off and try and find the boy?

Killian's thoughts were interrupted when Milah's sobs started up again.

"Oh, Killian," she cried. "Why did I wait so long? Why couldn't I have been braver and come back sooner? Now, I'll _never_ be able to see my son, again, or tell him how sorry I am." In a desperate attempt at consoling her, Killian began gently rocking her back and forth, stroking her hair.

"Yes," he finally said. "Yes, you _will_ see him again."

"But…Killian, what are you talking about? Bae's… trapped in some other realm."

"Aye, but…among the treasures we took from that merchant ship, there is _another_ magic bean," Killian explained. "You could use it. Go to whichever world Balefire ended up in. Then, you'd be able to see your boy again."

"I…Killian," Milah whispered, eyes wide with amazement. "You have no idea how much I'd love to do that. But…what about you? I can't just leave you."

"You won't," Killian insisted with a soft smile. "Not if _I_ come with you."

"You…you'd come with me?"

"If you want me to."

"But…what about your crew? Your ship? You'd be giving up _everything_. Your whole life. I couldn't ask you to do that."

"You don't have to," Killian insisted. "If going into this other world to be with Bae is what you want, and if you want me to be there, too, I'd _gladly_ come with you."

"You…you would really leave the Enchanted Forest?" Miliah spoke in awe. "Even if it means never seeing the Jolly Roger again? Killian, I know how much this ship means to you."

"Aye, she's been a fine ship, and we've been through a lot together," Killian agreed. "But I know she'll be in good hands; Starkey will treat her right. And in the end, _you're_ the one I can't live without." Once again, tears began to form in Milah's eyes, but this time they were tears of happiness.

"Killian," she cried, pulling him into a bone-crushing hug. "Thank you. Thank you so much! I'd _love_ you to come with me."

"Then that's what we'll do," Killian promised, thankful that Milah was hugging him and therefore couldn't see the grief and guilt in his eyes.

* * *

Killian sat by the bed, watching Milah sleep. He had been unable to find the will to sleep himself that night. Knowing that Rumpelstiltskin would be waiting for him at dawn, and that there was a good chance he wouldn't be walking away from that duel, he didn't want to squander his last moments with Milah. As such, he'd sat up all night, memorizing her face and engraving it into his memory, wanting to be able to visualize her at the last possible second.

He finally tore his eyes away from Milah's sleeping form to glance out the window, taking in the beginning hints of dawn's first light. Letting out a shaky breath, he slowly got to his feet and reached for his sword to affix it to his belt. Before he stepped out, he turned to glance one last time at Milah, feeling relief that she was sleeping soundly, not knowing about what was going to happen. Once again, he felt guilt wash over him, knowing that he wasn't going to be able to keep his promise to her, and that she'd have to venture after her boy on her own. He only hoped that she'd forgive him for not telling her the truth about his encounter with her former husband, and that she'd realize he was only trying to protect her.

Before leaving, Killian knelt down beside the bed, carefully leaning over and placing a gentle kiss on Milah's cheek before running his left hand though her dark tresses.

"I love you," he whispered. Steeling himself for what was to come, Killian forced himself to turn and climb up the ladder leading up to the empty deck, pouring all his willpower into not turning around, knowing that doing so would make him want to stay.

Just as Killian reached the gangway, he was stopped when he heard the familiar voice speaking.

"So, you're going off to face him, after all," Starkey observed, stepping into view. "I heard from Ed Teynte what happened when you were returning from the tavern."

"Aye, I'm going," Killian replied, fixing Starkey with a warning look. "Were you expecting otherwise? You _know_ I'm not a coward."

"Never said you were," Starkey pointed out. "I'm just shocked you tried to go without saying goodbye."

"No," Killian said, shaking his head. "It's…best if I don't." After a pause, Killian turned to look Starkey in the eye. "Consider this my final order, Starkey. If I don't return in one hour, then rouse the crew and set sail. Do not hesitate for my sake. Be sure to get as far from here as you possibly can."

"And what do you want me to tell Milah?" Starkey asked.

"Tell her…that this was the only way to keep the Dark One from finding her. Tell her that my actions today were about keeping her safe."

Before Killian continued on his way, he paused once more.

"Starkey?"

"Aye, Captain Jones?"

"Promise me… that you'll take care of her for me."

"I promise," Starkey vowed with a brisk nod. With that promise being made, Killian left the Jolly Roger and walked off, ready to meet his fate.

* * *

As the newly born Captain Hook steered the Jolly Roger into the whirlpool that would lead to Neverland, the accursed isle he'd sworn to never return to, he found his eyes drifting back to the open ocean behind them. He could no longer see the linen-wrapped body of his fallen love, but he knew it was out there, slowly sinking to the bottom of the sea.

"I'm sorry, Milah," he whispered. "I'm sorry I'm not keeping my promise by going to find your boy. I hope you can forgive me."

**End Flashback**

Neal gazed out in the direction of the tree line, but he was not actually looking at anything, too lost in thought.

"Is…is that really what happened?" he whispered after a lengthy pause.

"Aye," Hook confirmed with a nod. "So, if you want to be mad at someone, then by all means, be mad at _me_. I was the one who failed to use the magic bean to find you like we'd planned. Instead, I used it for my own desire, to get revenge on your father for killing her. As a result, I not only failed you, but I failed _her_ , by not honoring her wishes. I'm so sorry, Neal." Neal gave Hook a half-hearted glare, but it melted away seconds later. Instead, he simply looked emotionally and mentally spent.

Slowly, he turned to look at the stone seal on the ground.

"You were telling the truth, weren't you? About what bringing my father back would do?"

"Yes. I won't deny there's no love lost between your father and me. But for all his faults, he did love you." When Neal didn't react, Hook once again held out his hand. "Please, Neal. Just give me the key, and let us take you back to Storybrooke. Your father gave his life so you would live. It was quite possibly the first selfless thing he'd done in a long, long time. Don't take that away from him. Don't make his sacrifice be in vain."

Once again, a tense silence filled the air as Neal continued to look at the stone seal. Then, to everyone's relief, he slowly held the key out, allowing Hook to take it. The moment the key was safely in Hook's possession, Belle strode forward and pulled Neal into a tight, comforting hug.

"I'm sorry, Belle," Neal apologized, returning the hug. "I'm sorry for what I said. You know I didn't mean it."

"It's okay," Belle said in reassurance. "Let's just go home. It's been a _very_ long day."

"Yeah, okay," Neal nodded, reaching into his pocket for the remaining magic bean.

"You can put that away, Neal," Jefferson said. "Save it for a rainy day. We've got another way to get back to Storybrooke."

"I take it that's my cue," the White Rabbit announced, stepping out from the shadows where he'd been watching the confrontation at a safe distance.

"No way," Neal muttered, shaking his head. "Is that _the_ White Rabbit? Funny, I always pictured him…stockier."

* * *

Emma sat with Ruby in the corner of Regina's office, watching as the woman performed tests on the contents of the syringe while Robin explained what had happened when they'd confronted Zelena.

"So, first courage, and then a heart?" Emma listed.

"And then, she sends one of her flying monkeys after you," Ruby pointed out. "What exactly is she planning?"

At that moment, the door flew open, and David, Mary Margret and Henry all entered the room. The moment Henry saw Emma, he ran over and threw his arms around her.

"Mom!"

"Henry?! What are you doing here? You should be in bed!"

"We got a text message from Ruby, saying you were attacked by a flying monkey," Mary Margret explained. "Emma, are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Emma insisted. "Ruby, you told them?"

"I thought they should know," Ruby explained with a shrug.

"What happened?" David asked. Emma let out a slight huff, but not one of annoyance. This was why she hadn't wanted her parents to find out about tonight's incident. How was she supposed to explain what she was doing with Walsh? To her relief, Regina decided to step in.

"It would appear that Zelena had sent one of her winged monkeys into town under the guise of a man named Walsh," Regina explained. "The wolfgirl and her grandmother stepped in right when he was trying to inject Emma with whatever was in that syringe."

"Wait, Walsh?" David cried. "He was one of Zelena's flying monkeys? But I actually spoke to him this morning!" As that thought sank in, his expression shifted to anger. "So THAT'S why he was looking for Emma at the station."

"What was he trying to inject into Emma?" Mary Margret asked.

"I don't know, yet," Regina admitted, looking back at her work. "That's what I'm trying to figure out."

Emma was about to say something, but she stopped when she felt Henry hug her tighter.

"Hey, Henry, it's okay," she reassured. "The monkey didn't get me. Ruby and Granny stepped in in time. I'm all right."

"I know," Henry said, looking up at her with tears in his eyes. "But Dad's not."

"Neal? Why? What happened?"

"Emma, I'm sorry," Mary Margret said. "We tried to call you, but you never answered." In surprise, Emma reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, remembering she'd put her phone on vibrate when she and Walsh had left the Rabbit Hole and that she'd never turned the ringtone back on. Sure enough, there were a number of 'missed call' notices.

"If it hadn't been for Ruby's text, we wouldn't have been able to find you," David stated.

"I'm sorry about that," Emma apologized. "But what about Neal?"

"Henry got a phone call from his friend, Paige. She called him after Jefferson left her with her cursed parents. Neal's gone to the Enchanted Forest to try and resurrect Mr. Gold. Apparently, he thought doing so would give us an advantage over Zelena. But he doesn't realize that the method he plans to use will take away _his_ life in exchange."

"He's _what_?!" Emma cried, getting to her feet. "What was he thinking? We have to stop him!"

"Grace said her dad already went after him, with Belle and Hook," Henry said, fighting back tears. "But what if they don't get there in time?"

"Henry," Emma consoled, kneeling down so she'd be at his level. "I'm sure they'll get there in time."

"But what they _don't_?"

"We just have to have faith that they will," David pointed out.

Before Henry could say anything else, Ruby's phone started to ring.

"Granny?" Ruby answered after checking the caller ID. "What is it? OH! Oh, that's a relief. No, not that…yeah, I'm sorry about the floor. Okay, we'll be right there."

"What is it?" Mary Margret asked when Ruby ended the call. "Henry," Ruby announced with a smile. "You'll be happy to know that… they _did_ manage to stop Neal in time." "

They did?!" Henry exclaimed in excitement. "Where are they?"

"They're down at Granny's. And they apparently have a new friend. But Granny's not too happy about their method of entry."

"Wonderful," Regina spoke up. "You go and see to the idiots. If you want me to figure out what was in this syringe, I'm going to need to concentrate."

* * *

When the group entered Granny's, they were greeted by the sight of Neal and Belle sitting in the corner booth while Granny bustled around the room, occasionally glaring at the large hole in the middle of the diner floor.

"Wow, you weren't kidding about the floor," Ruby commented.

"Well, at least I know what caused it the _last time_ ," Granny sniffed, shooting a look at the bar, where the White Rabbit was sitting next to Jefferson. "All this time, I thought it was part of the damage done by that wraith."

"I do apologize for that" the White Rabbit replied. "It's just how the rabbit holes form."

"It's okay, Granny," Emma spoke up. "I'm sure there's enough in the town budget to handle the repairs."

Henry, meanwhile, had made a beeline for Neal, who was now conversing quietly with the boy. Deciding to allow the two to talk, Emma, David and Mary Margret took seats on the barstools.

"Thank you for stopping him," Emma said, turning to Jefferson and the White Rabbit.

"I appreciate the thanks, Emma," Jefferson replied with a smile. "But if you want to thank anyone, you should thank Hook. He was the one who managed to talk Neal out of it."

"He did?" Emma blinked in shock.

"Yeah, he did good," Jefferson declared. "You should have seen him."

"Where is he?" Mary Margret asked, noticing Hook was nowhere in sight.

"He headed out a few minutes before you arrived," Belle explained, joining them at the counter. "I think he wanted to be alone."

Emma only was partially listening. She was too lost in thought, processing the information about how Hook had seemingly saved the day once again. After a moment, however, she looked back at Neal and Henry, just in time to see Henry try to stifle a yawn to no avail.

"Okay, then," she announced. "It's late, and we've all had a very long day. It's time to get home and get to bed." Henry looked aghast at the news that he had to leave, but Neal just chuckled, tussling his hair.

"It's okay, Buddy," he said. "Emma's right; you should have been in bed hours ago. I'll see you in the morning." Henry still didn't look happy, but he relented and, after hugging Neal tightly, followed David and Mary Margret out.

"Neal?" Emma began before heading out after them, "Promise me you won't do something like that again. Not without letting us all know, first."

"Yeah, sorry," Neal apologized, looking slightly sheepish. "I probably should have told someone, first."

"Yes, you _should_ have," Emma spoke firmly. "Because you weren't the one who had to see Henry reduced to _tears_ , thinking that he was going to lose you. I do not want to see Henry that crushed ever again."

"Hey," Neal said with a frown. "I didn't think…"

"No, you didn't," Emma interrupted. "I told you a while ago, Neal, not to break Henry's heart. And for you to go and do this, even _if_ your intentions were good? All I can say is that this better be the only time. Because if you ever put Henry though Hell like this again, then I'm not going to be okay with you spending time with him.

"Hey, he's my kid, too," Neal pointed out.

"Then start acting like it, and put him and his feelings, first," Emma demanded. With that, she turned and left the diner, leaving a visibly shocked Neal behind.

* * *

Hook stood alone at the bow of the Jolly Roger, simply looking out at the horizon, the only sounds being the creaking of wood and the lapping waves. The sky that night was clear, with not a cloud in sight, so there was nothing hindering the reflection of the moon in the ocean. The centuries-old pirate considered the presence of this view to be a small blessing. After everything that happened tonight, he needed some way to settle his mind right now.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone coming aboard his ship and walking towards him. Tearing his eyes away from the view, he looked over and saw his visitor was Neal. The moment he realized Hook noticed his presence, Neal froze in place, and the two men simply stared at each other for a moment. It was clear they were both feeling a certain level of awkwardness.

"Hi," Neal finally spoke. "I…I figured that you'd be here."

"Aye," Hook agreed with a slight nod. "What brings you here?"

"Belle, in a way. She, um, told me how you guys managed to track me down in the Enchated Forest," Neal said. "About how you took a leftover locator spell from my father's private collection and used it on this." As Neal spoke, he carefully pulled out an old child-sized woven shawl from beneath his windbreaker. The moment Hook saw it, his expression shifted to a quiet wistfulness. It was clear he recognized it as the shawl that Neal had worn when he still went by Baelfire. Neal, noticing the look on Hook's face, smiled wryly. "I guess you know what this is."

"I do," Hood confirmed. "Your father had planned to use that to find you."

"Yeah, rather ironic that you guys used it for the same reason," Neal chuckled. But then, his mood became somber. "I suppose….you also know who it was who made it for me?"

"Yes." Hook's eyes focused on the shawl and he simply gazed at it. For a brief moment, Neal was sure he saw a tear form in Hook's eye, but he chose to not mention it. Instead, he slowly moved closer and, after a moment's hesitation, he held the shawl out to Hook.

"Take it," he offered. "I think you should have it from now on." Hook let out a surprised gasp upon hearing this, looking back up at Neal in amazement, as if he couldn't believe what he'd just heard.

"What did you say?" he whispered.

"Take it," Neal repeated, still holding the shawl out.

"Neal," Hook stammered, shaking his head. "This…this is the only thing you have left from your parents. From _her_."

"I know," Neal said, shrugging. "But…I'm sorry to admit that… I don't really remember her all that well. I was still very young when she left. You, on the other hand; after tonight, I think I finally understand. I realize…how much she meant to you. So it probably means a lot more to you than it does to me.

"Besides," Neal continued, now flashing a smile that almost reached his eyes, "I outgrew that old thing _years_ ago." In spite of everything, Hook was unable to hold back the soft laugh at Neal's attempt at levity.

"Thank you, Neal," he said, finally taking the shawl with great reverence. "Thank you…Baelfire."

"You're welcome. Killian."

* * *

Belle stepped out from the bathroom at the back of the diner and proceeded to make her way out front. But before she reentered the main room, she found herself face to face with Jefferson.

"Jefferson, is something wrong?" she asked, immediately noticing the expression on his face.

"No, nothing's wrong," he said, looking slightly uneasy about something. "I was just wondering how you were doing. With all the excitement these past few hours, no one's really taken the time to ask how you felt about everything."

"What do you mean?"

"Belle, Neal went out to try and resurrect Mr. Gold. If he'd succeeded, you would have been able to see him again. I couldn't help but wonder how you were coping with that. To be presented with the chance to be with the person you loved again, and willingly sacrifice that chance…." Belle nervously bit her lip, understanding what Jefferson was trying to say.

"It…it wasn't easy," she admitted. "There were still so many things I wanted to say to him. And yes, there's a part of me that _does_ wish there was a way to bring him back. I still miss him, and I expect I always will. But Hook was right; Rumple died a hero, saving all of us in the process. To take that away from him would be selfish."

"Belle," Jefferson chucked. "You are… a remarkable woman. If I had the opportunity to bring Priscilla back, I don't know if I could resist it. But not you. You're courageous and selfless enough to do the right thing, even if it means never seeing someone you love again. You amaze…."

Before Jefferson could complete his thought, Belle stepped forward with one quick movement, reaching out to cradle his face in her hands while pressing her lips up against his. In an instinctual movement, Jefferson's arms lifted up, his hands resting lightly on Belle's waist. Ever so slowly, he began to respond to the kiss. After a few more seconds, they pulled away and simply stared at one another. But them, all at once, the realization of what had just happened dawned on them both, and Belle stepped away, mirroring Jefferson's stunned expression.

The awkward tension was broken when the White Rabbit stepped into view.

"Jefferson, once again, it was nice to see you again," he stated. "But it's time I returned home to my family. The next time I see Alice, I'll be sure to tell her you're doing well."

"Thank you, Rabbit," Jefferson replied, looking away from Belle to address his old friend. "And thank you for your help, tonight." With one last nod of acknowledgement, the White Rabbit turned and left. But when Jefferson nervously looked back, it was just in time to witness Belle ducking back into the bathrooms. Before she closed the door, he briefly caught a glimpse of her conflicted expression.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you still with me after this chapter? Writing this one was rather draining on me; I had to watch clips of 'The Crocodile' to prepare myself for the flashback scenes. For the record, I'm among the fans who rather liked Milah, and I'm still steamed over how her story ended. Really hoping A&E didn't really sweep her second death under the rug and will resolve that later on.
> 
> As you can see, I did not kill off Neal. While I'll probably never be a fan of that character, I decided to keep him alive in this story. You're welcome.


	10. Operation: Tin Man

Belle stood outside the library, digging through her bag to try and locate her key. As she finally manage to unearth the key from beneath the tiny ziplock bag where she stored small objects like her nail file, clippers and a few band-aids, the memory of what happened last night once again came rushing back, forcing her to fumble and ultimately drop the key. Instead of picking it up again, Belle let out a tiny groan, closing her eyes and placing her hand over her mouth.

She’d kissed him. She’d _kissed_ him! What was she thinking? And then, she’d gone and hid in the bathrooms. What must he think of her, now? To make it worse, there had been _nothing_ about the moment that had called for a kiss. They’d been talking about their dead loved ones! But when she’d heard Jefferson praising her, calling her brave, and remarkable, and selfless, it was as if she couldn’t help herself.

Giving herself a quick mental shake to pull herself together, she made an internal promise to apologize for her behavior the next time she saw Jefferson. But when she started to bend down to pick the key up off the pavement, she noticed it was gone. Instead, she found herself looking at a pair of pointed black boots. Glancing up, she saw Hook standing there, looking right back at her. The missing key was sitting safely in his hand. When he saw she noticed him, he wordlessly handed the key back to her.

“Thank you,” Belle said, accepting the key. “It looks like we’re the first ones here.”

“Aye, that we are,” Hook agreed, scratching at his ear. “I suppose everyone else was tired and needed a lie in, since we were all up late last night.”

“You were out late, too,” Belle pointed out.

“Rising with the sun was a requirement in the Royal Navy,” Hook explained. “Once you become used to that pattern, it’s rather hard to break the habit.”

“Wait, the Royal Navy?” Belle repeated, eyeing him in confusion.

“I wasn’t always a pirate,” Hook stated with a casual shrug. Belle, finding she couldn’t come up with a response to that, simply opened the door so the two could enter the library and wait for everyone else to arrive. After yesterday’s events, which had cumulated in Neal almost falling into Zelena’s trap, it had been unanimously decided that everyone was going to crack down and work on figuring out what her plan was.

As Belle watched Killian get a head start on collecting some books to add to the research pile, it suddenly dawned on her that Jefferson wasn’t the only one she had to talk to.

“Hook?” she began. “I…I’m sorry.” Immediately, Hook turned and looked at her, visibly confused.

“Sorry for what?” he asked.

“For what I said to you. That day I came onto your ship. I shouldn’t have said that your heart was rotten. You told me why you were after Rumpelstiltskin, and…I suppose I just didn’t want to believe you. Even so, it was wrong of me to judge you so quickly. My father told me a long time ago that I shouldn’t judge someone until I know their whole story. I should have taken his words to heart. Now that I do know your story, after hearing you explain it to Neal last night, I realize you were acting out of grief. So…I’m sorry for what I said about your heart. I was wrong.”

“Thank you,” Hook replied, feeling suddenly awkward at the unexpected apology.

If either of them had any intention of continuing the conversation, they never got the chance. It was only a few seconds later that the door opened and Emma stepped in, with David, Mary Margret, Henry and a sheepish-looking Neal following close behind.

“Okay, let’s review what we know so far,” Emma began, deciding to have a brief refresher so the facts were fresh in everyone’s mind. “Zelena has already targeted David and captured a symbol of his courage. She’s also after Regina’s heart, and Regina has speculated that these are ingredients for a spell of some kind. Last night, Neal was nearly tricked into resurrecting Gold, so Zelena’s plan apparently requires him to be back, too. And then, there’s the matter of Robin’s son, Roland, who is being held hostage.”

“Also, there was the fact that she sent a flying monkey after you,” David pointed out. “Any word from Regina about what was in that syringe?”

“No, not yet,” Emma replied. “I called her this morning, and she said she hasn’t been able to identify the contents yet. But there are a few more tests that she still has to perform, so she’ll be getting back to us.”

“Well, I suppose we should get started,” Mary Margret suggested.

“Wait, where’s Jefferson?” Henry asked. “He’s not here, yet.”

“Well, that’s strange,” Emma commented, pulling out her cellphone. “I wonder if something happened.” Without hesitation, she dialed Jefferson’s number. To her surprise, the call was picked up on only the first ring. The ensuing conversation was equally as quick, so Emma was left even more stumped when Jefferson ended the call.

“Is something wrong?”

“I’m not sure,” Emma admitted. “He said that something came up and that he wasn’t going to make it today.”

“Did it sound like he was in trouble?” Hook inquired. “What if Zelena or one of her monkeys were hovering over him when you made that call?”

“No,” Emma slowly shook her head. “There was nothing in his tone of voice that suggested he was distressed about something. And I heard Grace talking in the background. If Jefferson was being held hostage, I doubt Grace would be allowed to walk around.”

“Well, I guess we shouldn’t wait, if Jefferson’s not going to show up,” Neal pointed out, selecting a book from the pile. One by one, everyone else followed Neal’s example and began scouring through the books. But Belle, who was the last one to join into the research, found her mind plagued by a nagging thought, wondering if she was the reason for Jefferson’s absence.

* * *

Emma was making her way through the library shelves, searching for more possible books that could help provide answers. As she began to turn the corner into a new row, she was forced to stop short to keep herself from running right into Hook. For a brief moment, Emma nearly asked what he was doing, but then noticed the few books tucked into the crook of his left arm. Instantly, she realized he must have been doing exactly what she was.

Hook, after a brief pause in which he simply looked at Emma wordlessly, cleared his throat and stepped aside to let her by. With a silent nod of thanks, Emma stepped around him and proceeded to scan the spines of the books on the left side of the row. She was all too aware of Hook standing behind her, searching through the books stacked on the right. It took her a few moments before she realized she was casting quick looks over her shoulder at him. Slowly, it started to dawn on her that this was the first time they’d actually been alone together since that town meeting. Had that really only been five days ago? It didn’t seem possible, considering everything that had happened since then. Wondering if she had the timing right, Emma began to think back on the events of the past few days. As a result, she remembered what Jefferson had told her last night, about who bore most of the responsibility for stopping Neal.

Letting out a steadying breath, Emma turned around completely to face him.

“Hook?” Immediately, he turned around to meet her eyes, an expectant look on his face as he waited for her to continue. “Thank you for saving Neal last night. Jefferson said that you were the one who talked him out of it.”

“I don’t deserve all the credit,” Hook stated, shaking his head. “I wouldn’t have been able to get to him to begin with if it hadn’t been for Belle and Jefferson, and their friendships with Ariel and the White Rabbit.”

“But you were the one who convinced Neal to stop,” Emma pointed out. “And…I realize I haven’t given you _enough_ credit lately. We never would have been able to save Henry from Neverland without you. And you really _have_ gone up and beyond with the current crises. Offering to search the area beyond the town line, helping us with research, having your crew guard the bean field to try and prevent Zelena from getting any more beans, and now this. I just wanted you to know that…we appreciate what you’ve done. _I_ appreciate it.”

Hook gave a small jerk of the head in response to her words, a small smile forming on his face, but he didn’t say anything. However, he gave a sudden start when he saw Emma moving closer to him out of the corner of his eye. Turning, he watched her step up to his side, reaching into her pocket and pulling out her phone.

“Here,” Emma began, holding the phone in front of them both. “I think it’s time someone showed you how to use one. That way, if something like this happens again, you’d be able to contact us quickly.”

“While I can see how such a thing would be beneficial, there’s a small problem, Swan,” Hook pointed out. “I do not have one of those talking devices.”

“And when this is over, we’ll have to get you one,” Emma commented. “After all, Henry’s been begging for one lately, and they sometimes offer a two for one deal.”

Without further ado, Emma started to explain how to use the phone, but when she angled the phone towards him so he could see what she was doing, Hook reached out to cup the phone in his hand, inadvertently covering Emma’s hand in the process. The unexpected contact made Emma temporarily loose her train of thought, and she looked up at Hook, seeing that his gaze was likewise trained on her. Within seconds, Emma felt something shift in the atmosphere and she could not look away. It was only then that she fully realized they were standing right next to each other, so close that their arms were brushing against each other.

“Emma….” Hook spoke so softly that she wouldn’t have realized he’d said anything if she hadn’t seen his lips moving.

“Emma, are you there?” Mary Margret suddenly called out. The sound of her mother’s voice prompted Emma to quickly step away from Hook, placing some distance between them.

“Yeah, I’m here,” she announced as Mary Margret came into view. “What is it?”

“Regina just arrived. She figured out what was in that syringe.”

“Okay, thank you,” Emma nodded in acknowledgement, moving to follow Mary Margret back to the main room of the library. As she went, however, she spared a momentary glance back at Hook, who was watching her walk away with a wistful smile.

Once Emma and Mary Margret returned to the main room, with Hook rejoining them seconds later, Regina wasted no time and cut right to the chase.

“It was a highly complex potion that consisted mainly of concentrated squid ink,” she announced, placing the now-empty syringe on the counter of the circulation desk.

“You mean that stuff that immobilized Rumpelstiltskin when he was locked up back in the Enchanted Forest?” Emma asked in clarification. “So, I would have been immobilized if Walsh managed to inject me with it?”

“Actually, I’m not entirely certain _what_ it would have done,” Regina admitted. “Up until now, I’ve only heard of squid ink being used externally. There’s never been a documented case of squid ink being injected directly into the bloodstream. It’s anyone’s guess what would have happened if you were injected with it. For all we know, it would have paralyzed you permanently.”

“So, you’re saying Zelena wants Emma out of the way,” David concluded, casting Emma a concerned glance.

“Well, that shouldn’t be a surprise, should it?” Hook asked, also looking at Emma. “You _are_ the Savior, love. If there’s anyone who can defeat the witch, it would be you.”

“It’s going to be hard to defeat her, anyway.” Emma sighed. “Considering we still don’t know what it is she’s planning.”

“Actually, I think I might have just found the answer,” Belle said cautiously, coming around the corner with a particularly large book in her hands. In unison, everyone turned their eyes on the librarian.

“What did you find?” Mary Margret prompted.

“Well, what has Zelena been after? Charming’s courage, Regina’s heart, and she’s also tried to bring back Rumple, who probably knew more about magic than anyone else in this room. Brains, courage and a resilient heart? Those ingredients are in every time-travel spell I’ve found.”

“Time travel?” Regina exclaimed, coming very close to rolling her eyes. “No one’s _ever_ been able to cast a spell to go back in time.”

“Well, clearly, she thinks she can succeed,” Belle pointed out.

“But what could she plan to do with a spell like that?” Neal asked.

“Wait a minute,” Robin spoke up. “It’s all about you, Regina. It must be. We’ve established that Zelena is angry because your mother didn’t keep her but chose to raise you, instead. Perhaps that’s what she’s trying to change.”

“And Cora gave Zelena up because my mother exposed her secret,” Mary Margret added, catching on to what Robin was saying. “Zelena’s going to go back and kill my mother, so Cora would be free to marry Prince Leopold.”

“Which means you would never have been born,” Regina speculated. “And if you were never born….”

“I wouldn’t be, either,” Emma concluded.

“And neither would Henry.”

“And on this different path, Regina, you might not have been born, either,” Mary Margret pointed out.

“But it’s like you said,” Neal stated. “No one’s ever succeeded in casting a time traveling spell. So Zelena’s probably just going to fail, too.”

“Unless Zelena knows something we don’t,” Belle replied.

For a moment, a silence fell in the library as everyone let that thought sink in.

“Wait a minute,” David finally spoke up, turning to Regina and Robin. “You said…Zelena claimed she needed Roland for something, but never specified what.”

“What are you getting at?” Robin demanded, his face paling, as if fearing the answer.

“I think you know what I’m trying to say,” David said, sympathetically.

“You think she plans to use my son as part of this spell?” The instant he said this, Robin turned and started to storm out, but Regina stopped him.

“Robin, wait,” she said. “You can’t just run off without a plan.”

“Much as it pains me, I have to agree with Regina, mate,” Hook added. “It won’t do your boy any good.”

“And sitting here while the witch plans to turn Roland into an ingredient is doing him good?”

“Zelena won’t be doing anything to Roland,” Regina reasoned. “Remember, she still doesn’t have all the ingredients. You still have my heart, and thanks to Captain Guyliner, Jefferson and the bookworm, she’s not getting her hands on Rumpelstiltskin’s brain. For now, she’s stuck. For now, Roland is still safe.”

As everyone continued to try and reassure Robin, Emma caught Neal’s eye, and gave him a nonverbal cue to follow her. In silence, they broke away from the rest of the group and ducked behind a row of books.

“Are you going to continue yelling at me because of last night?” Neal asked without preamble. “Because I get it. I messed up.”

“Yes, you did,” Emma agreed. “And for the record, I’m still pissed about that. But that’s not what this is about.”

“Then what?”

“I’ve thought about what you said,” Emma stated. “And, after taking everything into consideration, with the flying monkeys, Zelena, time travel spells and syringes filled with squid ink…. I’ve decided to take you up on your offer about taking Henry to New York. Just until this all blows over.”

“Do you mean it?”

“Yes. It might take a while to convince Regina, but…maybe getting Henry out of Storybrooke for a little bit to keep him out of danger is the best thing for him right now.”

“Yeah, that’s what I think, too,” Neal agreed.

Unbeknownst to Emma and Neal, Henry had secretly followed after them and had been hiding in the next row over. As a result, he had heard the whole conversation.

* * *

Grace was sitting in her room at her cursed parents’ house, working on finishing her science homework, when she heard a faint tapping sound. Looking up in curiosity, she scanned her room but saw nothing amiss. Just when she was about to shrug it off and return to her homework, she briefly saw something hitting her window, accompanied by the same tapping sound. Immediately, Grace moved over to the window to look outside. Right away, she saw Henry standing in the yard, tossing pebbles up at her window. When he realized he caught Grace’s attention, Henry gestured for her to come outside. After nodding in understanding, Grace carefully made her way downstairs, managing to sneak past Mr. and Mrs. Grace before slipping out though the backdoor.

“Henry, what are you doing here?” Grace asked.

“We figured out what Zelena is doing,” Henry explained. “She’s planning to go back in time and change the past.”

“Is that possible?”

“I don’t know, but she’s going to try. That’s why she tried to take my other mom’s heart, and why she took a symbol of Grandpa’s courage. And it’s why she tried to trick Dad into resurrecting Mr. Gold. She needs them as ingredients. Without them, she can’t cast her spell.”

“Then…she _already_ can’t cast it, right?” Grace mused. “Papa, Belle and Captain Hook stopped your dad, so she can’t get Rumpelstiltskin, and Regina’s heart is still safe.”

“But she _still_ has Robin’s son, Roland. We think that Zelena needs him for her spell, too. So, as long as she has Roland, he’s still in danger. Which is why _we_ have to rescue him.”

“Wait, you mean... _us_? As in, you and me?”

“Yeah! We can call it… Operation: Tin Man.”

“Henry, I don’t know about this,” Grace said, visibly nervous. “I’m sure the adults are already trying to figure out how to save Roland.”

“But that doesn’t mean we can’t help out,” Henry urged. “I realize I went about it the wrong way in Neverland, when I listened to Pan over my family. But I still want to be the hero. And heroes don’t sit around when someone is in trouble. What about you, Grace? Will you help me?”

“I…yes, I want to help,” Grace agreed. “But…how are we supposed to save Roland?”

“I have a plan.”

* * *

Jefferson sat alone on the pier bench, deep in thought. Despite his best efforts, his mind kept going back to last night, and that one moment with Belle. He could even still feel her lips brushing against his with perfect clarity. Once again, he tried to give himself a mental shake, but to no avail. So it wasn’t until he noticed the shadow out of the corner of his eye that he realized he was no longer alone. Looking up, he found that he’d been joined by Hook and Robin.

“So, _this_ is where you went,” Hook noted. “We missed you at the library.”

“Yeah, sorry for ditching,” Jefferson replied with a shrug. “I just needed some air.” Hook, instead of accepting this answer, started to eye Jefferson in a calculating manner. But before he could press the issue, Jefferson changed the subject. “What brings the two of you out here?”

“Simply put, the others charged Hook with keeping an eye on me,” Robin spoke up. “Trying to make sure I don’t run off and try to save my son without a plan.”

“Wouldn’t have _quite_ worded it like that, mate,” Hook commented. “While it is true the lad is safe for the time being, we are working on freeing him as we speak. We were tasked at keeping watch over the farmhouse, so we could notify them of the moment when Zelena leaves and the coast is clear. But the _real_ question is, what exactly is bothering _you_ , Jefferson?”

“What do you mean?”

“Believe it or not, I can be quite perceptive. And I can tell you’re being evasive right now. Combine that with the fact that I saw the expression on Belle’s face when she heard you weren’t showing up today. So I know _something_ must have happened.”

“What sort of expression?” Jefferson asked, the question slipping out before he could stop himself. Upon hearing these words, Hook’s expression shifted into clear understanding.

“Oh, so _that’s_ what the problem is,” he surmised. “You two had a shared moment, didn’t you?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Jefferson insisted, looking away. “It can’t happen again.”

“And why is that?” Hook challenged.

“Because I’ve come to value her friendship too much. I can’t let it be jeopardized by overstepping the boundaries of that friendship.”

“I think you’ve forgotten, Jefferson,” Hook said. “I was still in earshot that day you had that conversation in the library, when you discussed how the curse had affected you both. I’d say you could relate to her far better than most people in this town. And she with you. I doubt a connection like that could be affected easily.”

“If you remember that conversation, then you should also remember a large chunk of that conversation was about my dead wife and her dead lover,” Jefferson pointed out. “Hardly a romantic topic, there.”

“You’ve got a point there,” Robin allowed, taking a seat on the bench next to Jefferson. “But it’s probably a good thing that you’ve both experienced personal loss. It means there’s one more way you can relate to each other.”

“And what if it means at least one of us isn’t ready to move on?” Jefferson countered.

“Well, you’re certainly talking to the right man for that,” Hook stated. “It’s been centuries since I lost Milah, and I’m sure there’s a part of me that will always love her. But, when you meet the right person, you can find the strength to move on.”

“He’s right,” Robin agreed. “I feel the same way about Marian, and I’ll never stop wondering exactly what happened to her. But I know she wouldn’t want me to be alone forever.”

Before Jefferson could come up with a response, he heard the sound of his phone ringing. He frowned in mild confusion when he saw it was Mr. and Mrs. Grace. Wondering why they were calling, he answered.

“Hello?”

“Please, Mr. Jefferson,” the frantic voice of Mrs. Grace replied. “Where’s Paige?”

“What do you mean?” Jefferson asked, instantly on the alert. “She’s not with you?”

“She was up in her room doing her homework, but when I went up to tell her lunch was ready, she was gone. Scott’s trying to call up some of her friends from school, but I was hoping you knew where she was.”

“Okay,” Jefferson said, getting to his feet while trying not to panic. “Try…try to stay calm. I’m sure she’s fine. I’m in town right now. If I find her, I’ll let you know right away.”

“What’s wrong?” Robin asked when Jefferson ended the call.

“That was Grace’s cursed mother,” Jefferson explained. “Grace is missing.”

“That’s not a good thing, especially at the moment,” Hook said. Without further hesitation, the three men hurried off with the intention of locating the missing girl. But as they started the search, they inadvertently ran into Emma, Neal and Regina, who looked equally concerned about something.

“Hook!” Emma exclaimed when she saw them. “Have you seen Henry?”

“You mean Henry’s missing, too?” Hook asked in visible concern. “

What do you mean, ‘ _missing, too_ ’?” Regina inquired.

“Grace is also missing,” Jefferson explained.

“You think there’s a connection?” Neal speculated.

“It’s possible,” Emma sighed. “Okay, we should probably split up. We can cover more ground that way. With any luck, if we find one, we’ll find the other.”

Within the span of a minute, the six people broke off and began the search for the two missing children.

* * *

Henry and Grace hid in the bushes near the farmhouse, waiting until they were sure it was safe to make their move. After what seemed like an eternity, they saw Zelena step out of the farmhouse and make her way into the woods. Once she was out of sight, Henry turned to Grace.

“Okay, let’s hurry. We don’t know how long she’ll be gone.”

Moving quickly, the two children made their way over to the storm cellar, thankful that padlock wasn’t secure.

“You ready?” Henry asked.

“I…yes, I’m ready,” Grace announced, still sounding nervous. Steeling himself, Henry took hold of the cellar door.

“On the count of three, then. One….two….THREE!” As quickly as possible, Henry pulled open the door, and Grace began shooting off one of the two fire extinguishers they’d brought with them, with Henry joining her seconds later, filling up the storm cellar with smoke. Their efforts were greeted by the sounds of enraged shrieks from the flying monkeys waiting inside. Many of them managed to stagger outside and flew off, too desperate to escape the smoke to pay any mind to Henry and Grace. Taking advantage of this, Henry tossed his fire extinguisher aside and hurried down into the storm cellar. Once he’d reached the bottom of the stairs, he began feeling around through the residual smoke, being mindful of the few flying monkeys that remained writhing on the ground, until he felt the bars of the cage at the back of the room.

By now, the smoke from the fire extinguisher had dissipated enough for Henry to spot the door of the cage, and the lock that kept it secured. Taking the large rock out his pocket, Henry smashed it against the lock with all the strength he could muster, finally succeeding in breaking it open on the fifth try.

“Roland?” Henry spoke urgently, opening the door and stepping into the cage, making his way over to the little boy who was crouching in the corner of the cage, his eyes wide with fear and confusion. “Roland, don’t be afraid. We’re here to rescue you.”

“Who are you?” Roland asked, staring up at Henry.

“My name’s Henry. It’s okay. I know your dad. I’m here to take you to him.” At the mention of his father, Roland’s eyes lit up and he got to his feet, taking Henry’s offered hand.

“Hurry!” Grace beseeched once the two boys had exited the storm cellar together. “I don’t know how long it’ll take them to come back!” Sure enough, as the three of them reached the woods, they heard the horrifying sounds of flying monkeys shrieking in rage. Sparing a glance over his shoulder, Henry saw a few of them beginning to pursue them.

“Keep running!” he urged, bending down to pick up Roland so he could carry him instead, unwilling to take the chance that the small boy could keep up with them. Henry and Grace continued to run through the woods, the sound of the flying monkeys closing in on them filling their ears. As they started to dodge around a tree trunk in their path, they ran headlong into a figure. Acting on instinct, the two children started to run in the opposite direction, but two arms shot out before they could do so, catching them. Henry started to struggle, until he realized that it wasn’t a hand gripping his shoulder, but a familiar-looking metal hook.

“Hook?” Henry gaped, turning to look up at the pirate.

“What are you doing!?” Hook demanded, staring at the pair. “We’ve been looking _everywhere_ for you! Your parents are all worried sick!” Before Henry and Grace could come up with a response, a particularly loud shriek caught their attention. In unison, they all looked over to see a large group of flying monkeys approaching quickly.

“Henry, Grace,” Hook instructed, pulling out a flintlock pistol as he moved to stand between the children and the monkeys. “Go, as quick as you can. Don’t stop for anything, no matter what. GO!”

Needing no further instruction, Henry and Grace continued on their way, with Roland gripping onto Henry for dear life, the sounds of Hook’s pistol being fired urging them onward.

Just when they started to feel as if they were going to collapse from exhaustion, they broke through the tree line and found themselves on the road, right when the yellow bug came into view.

“Henry!” Emma cried, exiting the vehicle within seconds, Regina and Neal following close behind her. “Where have you been?”

“Moms. Dad.” Henry breathed in relief at the sight of them, carefully setting Roland down, just in time for Emma to pull him into a relieved hug. “I had to try and…”

“Henry, what were you thinking?” Regina interrupted, also throwing her arms around him. “Wandering off without telling us?”

“But I had to try and save Roland,” Henry explained, gesturing to the boy in question. “Zelena wouldn’t be able to cast her time travel spell if she didn’t have what she needed. We couldn’t just leave him.”

“We’ll discuss that later. Right now, let’s get you all home.”

“Wait!” Grace spoke up, looking back at the tree line in concern. “What about Hook?”

“Hook? What about him?” Emma asked.

“We ran into him when we were trying to get away,” Grace replied. “He stayed behind to hold the flying monkeys back, to give us the chance to get away. But I don’t know how long he can fend them off alone.”

“Neal, stay here and keep an eye on them,” Emma instructed, drawing her gun and heading off in the direction that Grace was pointing, with Regina following her after a momentary pause to once again make sure Henry was staying put.

Shortly after entering the woods, two woman began to hear the shrieks and snarls of flying monkeys, which helped them figure out which direction to go. But Emma felt the bottom of her stomach drop when she realized that was all she was hearing, and she started to walk faster. Moments later, she caught sight of movement ahead and she charged forward. The sight waiting for her made her freeze momentarily.

Hook was lying motionless on the ground, with a snarling monkey hovering over him. For a brief second, Emma could only stare in shock, fearing the worst. That’s when she noticed Hook was maintaining a firm grip on the monkey’s neck, keeping the creature’s head back to prevent himself from getting bitten. That sight alone was enough to assure Emma that Hook was still alive. Without further hesitation, Emma took aim and fired her gun, aiming for a non-vital area. In spite of everything, she couldn’t forget that this monkey could be one of the missing townspeople. Upon being shot, the monkey reared back, shrieking in pain. While Emma kept her sights trained on the monkey, she saw Hook’s arm drop heavily to the ground out of the corner of her eye. The monkey, managing to shake off its pain, redirected its attention on Emma. Just as Emma was preparing to shoot again, the monkey suddenly turned to stone before her eyes. Blinking in confusion, Emma turned and looked over her shoulder to see Regina, who was looking right back at her with a smug look on her face.

“You’re welcome,” Regina commented.

Shaking her head, Emma turned to look back at Hook. Right away, she saw something was wrong. Moving quickly, she hurried forward, kneeling at his side while Regina began to look around for any more flying monkeys that might be lurking nearby. Upon close inspection, Emma felt her stomach churn at the slight of the blood seeping out from a series of slashes across his face. It appeared that, while the monkey hadn’t bit him, it had certainly managed to claw at his face, leaving deep-looking wounds. But what had really alarmed her was that Hook wasn’t moving, his eyes closed as if in repose.

“Hook?” Emma asked cautiously, starting to shake his shoulders when he didn’t respond to her. "Hook, wake up! _Killian_! Killian, come back to me!” When Hook showed no signs of life, Emma turned to glance at Regina in desperation. Catching on to the seriousness of the situation, Regina pulled out her phone to call for help.

As Regina busied herself with talking to the paramedics, Emma looked back at Hook, who remained unconscious.

“Hook,” she whispered, unable to look away. “Come back to me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Peeks out from behind the door* Please don't yell at me.


	11. Throwing Down the Gauntlet

“Papa!” Roland cried out the instant his father stepped into the hospital waiting room. Without hesitation, the small boy was running into Robin’s waiting arms. Robin, visibly grateful for Roland’s safe return, lifted him into a tight hug. As father and son reunited, Regina stood watching from a respectful distance. When Robin finally set Roland down again and crouched down to continue talking to the boy, his hands came to rest on Roland’s shoulders. As a result, his tattoo was on full display, and Regina felt her stomach clench at the sight of it.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a sudden gasp behind her. Turning, she saw Tinkerbell standing behind her, staring at Robin.

“It’s the lion tattoo!” she exclaimed, turning to Regina in excitement. “It’s what was prophesized! He’s your soul mate!”

“I know,” Regina confirmed, keeping her voice down and gesturing for Tinkerbell to do the same. “I saw it yesterday.”

“And you didn’t tell me?” Tinkerbell cried incredulously.

“Well, right now, I have better things to do than gossip about boys,” Regina hissed. “What are you doing here, anyway?”

“I don’t think you need reminding that word travels fast in this town,” Tinkerbell commented, stepping around Reina and making her way over to Emma, who was sitting on the other side of the room. “Emma! I heard what happened to Hook. Has there been any news?”

“No,” Emma stated. “He’s been in the ER for nearly an hour, but we still haven’t heard anything.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much,” Tinkerbell consoled. “I’ve known Hook for quite a while. You’d be surprised what he’s lived through before this.”

Emma responded with a forced smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, but just as she was opening her mouth, Robin approached the group, carrying Roland in his arms.

“I cannot thank all of you enough,” he stated.

“Oh, of course! We’re glad Roland is back safe,” Mary Margret replied. “And the nurses already gave him a clean bill of health, so it looks like Zelena didn’t do anything to him.”

“What do you plan to do now?” David asked. “Will you return to the Enchanted Forest, once Anton’s bean field produces a new batch?”

“Well,” Robin began, seemingly deep in thought. “I probably will have to go back, so the Merry Men will know we’re alright. But…after that, I’m not quite certain.”

“Are you saying you’re thinking about staying here, permanently?” Henry asked. Robin hesitated before replying, but it almost looked as if he was casting a furtive glance at Regina.

“Perhaps living here _would_ be nice,” he finally announced.

Before anyone had a chance to respond to the fact that Robin was considering staying in Storybrooke, the sound of a throat being cleared alerted everyone to the fact that Dr. Whale had entered the room.

“Dr. Whale,” Emma said, getting to her feet. “Is he….?”

“Well, it was touch and go for a while,” Dr. Whale replied. “Hook lost quite a lot of blood, so we had to perform a few transfusions. But he’s in stable condition, now. Unless something unforeseen happens, I’d say he’ll make a full recovery. Although, it’s probably best that he doesn’t get any visitors yet. He needs time to regain his strength.”

“So, Hook’s going to be okay?” Henry asked hopefully.

“That’s great!” Grace added. “I wanted the chance to thank him for saving our lives.”

“Speaking of which,” Jefferson prompted, casting a stern look at the two children. Instantly, their relieved smiles vanished, realizing what was coming.

“We’re grounded, huh?” Henry guessed.

“Yes, I should think so,” Regina confirmed, folding her arms. “Running off like that without telling anyone? And with my sister and her monkeys roaming around? You could have been _killed_.”

“So…how long are we grounded for?” Grace asked, clearly remorseful. For a few moments, Emma, Regina, Jefferson and Neal all seemed to contemplate the question.

“Well,” Emma finally replied. “Do you think we could all agree on a week?”

“Really?” Henry exclaimed, surprised at the leniency of their sentence.

“Regina is right,” Emma commented, suppressing a smile. “What you did was dangerous and _extremely_ reckless. But, it was also very brave, and you _did_ manage to successfully free Roland. So, I say one week would suffice.”

“Same,” Neal agreed.

“I suppose I can live with that, too,” Regina said. “After all, your actions did help get Roland back.”

“Do I get a week, too?” Grace asked, turning to Jefferson.

“If it were up to me, I’d say yes,” Jefferson stated, getting to his feet. “Unfortunately, you have _another_ set of parents now. They might not feel the same way as I do. And on that note, I told them I’d drop you off right after we got word on Hook’s condition.”

After saying goodbye to Henry, Grace left the room with Jefferson. As they neared the entrance to the hospital, however, Jefferson stopped in his tracks when he spotted Belle coming around the corner, his eyes growing wide.

“Oh! Jefferson!” Belle gaped upon seeing him. For a split second, they simply looked at each other, but then Belle glanced away in clear embarrassment. Feeling just as nervous, Jefferson cleared his throat.

“I’ll…just wait by the car,” Grace announced, recognizing her cue to leave the pair alone. But even after Grace had stepped away, Jefferson and Belle stood in an awkward silence, until….

“I’m glad Grace is okay.”

“Sorry for not showing up this morning.”

Upon realizing that they’d both spoken at the same time, the pair started to chuckle uneasily. Finally, Belle broke the silence.

“Listen, I’m sorry about last night,” Belle said. “I don’t know what came over me.”

“Are you…. Do you mean…you regret what happened?” Jefferson asked, surprised over how hurt he felt at the very thought of that.

“I….” Belle trailed off, unsure of what to say at first. “Only if…it made things…uncomfortable. Jefferson, I don’t know what _this_ is, but…I don’t want to lose it. So, if I crossed the line last night, I’m sorry.”

“For what it’s worth,” Jefferson replied, “if you crossed a line, then I did, too. I did, after all, reciprocate. Whatever _this_ is, Belle….I don’t think it’s one sided.”

“Really?” Belle whispered, visibly taken aback by that. “So….what does that mean?”

“Well…..” Jefferson began, trying to choose his words carefully. “Grace is going to be at her cursed parents’ house tomorrow night. So…if you want….you could…stop by? For dinner?”

“You’re…asking me to have dinner with you?” Belle asked, feeling a smile start to form in the corners of her mouth.

“I guess I am,” Jefferson admitted, seemingly surprised at himself. For a moment, Belle seemed to be contemplating the offer, but the smile remained on her face.

“Well then,” she finally said. “I _guess_ I’m going to say yes.”

“Okay,” Jefferson said, unable to stop himself from mirroring her smile. “So…tomorrow night, around 6?”

“I’ll be there,” Belle promised. For a few seconds, the pair simply stood smiling at each other, but the moment they realized this, they both began to feel self-conscious. .

“Right,” Jefferson nodded, shifting nervously in place. “Then I…I’ll see you then.”

“Yeah, see you then,” Belle agreed, forcing herself to back away while realizing she was now biting her lip. Trying to alleviate the awkwardness of the moment, Jefferson took his chance to turn around and make his way to his car, where Grace was waiting patiently. But he couldn’t fight back the giant smile that had affixed itself to his face.

* * *

In the middle of the woods, the flying monkey that Regina turned to stone remained undisturbed, apart from a small bird that chose to temporarily roost there. The bird was scared off, however, when the monkey returned to flesh and blood, letting out a loud cry.

“So, it appears I was right,” Zelnena commented, stepping into view. “They have managed to help the child escape.” Upon hearing Zelena’s voice, the monkey instantly cowered before her, seemingly fearful of her response. “Oh, don’t worry; I’m not angry. No, I confess I’m actually quite impressed with their fortitude. And this is only a tiny bump in the road. So, I say, let them have today, thinking they’ve won. It’ll be my gift to them, considering that, after tomorrow, most of them won’t even exist.”

* * *

The general mood of the breakfast crowd at Granny’s the following morning was quite positive, especially at one particular table, where Emma, David, Mary Margret, Regina and Henry were sitting with Robin and Roland. Granny had been doting on the young boy, bringing him hot oatmeal, stacks of pancakes, scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes, sausage links, buttered toast, and tall glasses of chocolate milk, all while waving away any offers of money for the food.

“It’s all on the house,” she insisted after the fifth time Robin tried to pay her. “He’s been through quite the ordeal these past few days, and who knows how often that witch provided him with food?”

“I didn’t starve the boy, if that’s what you’re implying.” Immediately, the whole diner fell silent, and Robin, Regina, Emma and David all rose to their feet in the blink of an eye. Sure enough, Zelena stood in doorway, a wide smile on her face.

“What are you doing here?” Regina demanded, stepping forward to confront Zelena.

“I’m surprised you asked,” Zelena replied. “Given the children’s little rescue attempt, and how you managed to stop the Dark One’s son the other night, I would have thought you figured it out.”

“What, that you were plotting to go back in time and change the past? Yes, we managed to figure that much out. But that doesn’t explain why you’re here now, unless you’re here to surrender.”

“Now, why would I do that?” Zelena asked, the smile not leaving her face.

“Because your plan failed. Rumpelstiltskin wasn’t resurrected, so you can’t get your hands on him, and Roland is here. You’ve lost your ingredients.”

“Oh, have I?” Zelena stated with a confident air. “Unlike you, Regina, I don’t underestimate the importance of a contingency plan.”

Before Regina could clarify what she meant, the sound of Roland crying out in fear and alarm caught everyone’s attention. Turning towards the hallway leading to the back door of the diner, where Mary Margret had been trying to covertly steer Henry and Roland towards, they saw a flying monkey had appeared and snatched Roland out of Mary Margret’s grasp. Before anyone could react, Zelena waved a hand, freezing everyone’s feet to the ground.

“The choice is yours, thief,” Zelena announced. “You can either hand over Regina’s heart, which I know she entrusted to you, or you can do nothing and forsake your son.”

“I know a bluff when I hear one,” Robin replied, trying to remain confident in spite of the fear washing over him. “You wouldn’t hurt him. I _know_ you need him for that spell of yours.”

“What I needed was someone to represent the element of innocence,” Zelena pointed out. “I figured the boy was the best option. But I since found out there’s an even _better_ option available.” With that, Zelena pulled out what looked like a glass ball from beneath her cloak and stroked her hand across the surface. Instantly, Mary Marget let out a sudden gasp of alarm, and a spectral blue light emerged from her, flowing right into the glass ball Zelena was holding.

“What did you do!?” David yelled, staring between Mary Margret and Zelena, fearful for his wife’s wellbeing.

“Oh, nothing much,” Zelena said with a shrug. “I just took the soul of your unborn child. Admittedly, it probably _would_ have been more practical to wait until your little brat was born, but as they say, desperate times call for desperate measures. And I _couldn’t_ let you get away with your feeble attempts at foiling me.” Upon hearing this, David and Mary Margret shared a look of panic.

“So you see,” Zelena continued, now looking back at Robin. “I really have no use for your son, after all. Still think I’m bluffing?” As if to back up Zelena’s threat, the flying monkey tightened his grip on Roland’s shoulders, piercing the skin with his claws and forcing the boy to cry out in pain.

“No!” Robin cried, fear and alarm filling his face.

“Robin, give her my heart!” Regina exclaimed. “It’s okay. Just…let her take it. Nothing’s worth the loss of a child.” After a beat, Robin reached into his saddlebag and removed the pouch that contained Regina’s heart. Shooting Zelena a look of ire, Robin tossed it over.

“Thank you,” Zelena said with a gloating smirk, securing the pouch to her wrist before glancing over at the flying monkey. “You know what to do, next.” The monkey responded with a terrible screech and released Roland. As the monkey sprinted out of the diner and took flight, Zelena recanted the spell that was restraining everyone.

“Just give it up, Zelena,” Regina ordered. “You _still_ don’t have Rumpelstiltskin, so you’re stuck.”

“I thought I’d explained it to you,” Zelena stated, rolling her eyes. “I have a backup in mind. Rumpelstiltskin wasn’t the _only_ mad genius whose brain would suffice.”

“What does that mean?” Emma asked, starting to step forward, only to be magically shoved back by Zelena.

“Sorry, but I have more important things to do than explain things to you. I have a spell to cast.”

“Not so fast,” Regina demanded, launching a wave of magic towards Zelena. However, Zelena countered her effortlessly, the magic colliding in midair. The moment the magical blasts connected, Regina was also blown backwards.

“You really think _you_ have what it takes to defeat me?” Zelena scoffed. “Rumpelstiltskin may have taught us both, but _I_ was the better student.” With that, Zelena vanished in a pillar of green smoke. The moment Zelena was gone, Mary Margret fell to her knees, clutching her stomach while David knelt next to her, concern evident on her face.

“Our baby!” she cried, tears flowing down her cheeks. “She took our baby’s soul!”

“It’ll be okay,” Regina reassured, stepping forward. “Try not to panic.” Moving carefully, Regina placed her hands on Mary Margret’s stomach, and a reddish golden light appeared.

“What are you doing?”

“A preservation spell,” Regina explained.

“You mean, like the one you placed on Henry when Pan tricked him into giving up his heart?” Emma asked.

“Exactly. It’ll keep the baby safe for a while, until we can get its soul back from Zelena.”

At that moment, a small distraction appeared as the door reopened and Belle and Neal hurried in.

“What happened?” Neal exclaimed. “We saw the flying monkey flying off. Was anyone hurt?”

“Zelena managed to take Regina’s heart,” Emma explained. “And she stole the baby’s soul.”

“ _What?!_ ”

“And now she’s going to cast her time travel spell,” Henry added.

“But…how is she supposed to do that?” Belle inquired. “We stopped Neal from resurrecting Rumple, so Zelena can’t use him. How is she planning to cast her spell if she doesn’t have all her ingredients?”

“She said she had a back-up plan,” David explained. “She said that…Rumpelstiltskin wasn’t the only mad genius whose brain would suffice.”

“Another mad genius?” Neal repeated. “But, if she’s not going to use my father’s brain, then who….” Neal was cut off by Belle’s horrified gasp. When everyone turned towards her, they saw her face had grown deathly pale.

“Oh, no,” she whispered. Hurriedly, she reached for her phone, groaning in frustration when she realized she left it at her father’s place. “There’s not much time! We have to warn him!”

* * *

Jefferson was holed up in the kitchen of his house, scouring through a mountain of cookbooks he’d pulled out. It was clear from the look on his face that he was internally stressed out.

“I knew you’d be in here,” Grace said, walking into the kitchen.

“Grace!” Jefferson cried, looking up. “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be with Mr. and Mrs.……”

“I talked them into dropping me off for a little bit, because I thought you’d want some help planning for your dinner with Belle. Did you pull out every cookbook in the house?”

“I just don’t know what to make,” Jefferson admitted.

“Well, there are a few restaurants in town,” Grace pointed out. “Why not just take her to one?”

“I….” Jefferson was unable to formulate an answer to that question. The truth was, he knew the reason why. It was one thing to converse with Belle or the rest of the group in the quiet of the library. But it was an entirely different situation to be in a public setting like a crowded restaurant. He couldn’t explain why the notion was unsettling. After spending 28 years in isolation, he should _welcome_ the company. But then again, maybe he’d grown too used to the solitude.

Grace, realizing her father wasn’t going to admit what was troubling him out loud, picked up one of the cookbooks and began flipping through it.

“How about that stew you always made for us back in the Enchanted Forest?” Grace suggested, looking over at Jefferson as he went back to scouring through the cookbook in front of him. “That always tasted wonderful.”

“No, that’s no good,” Jefferson insisted, shaking his head without looking up. “What if the stew drips? Either one of us could end up with a large stew stain down our fronts. Hmm. Should we go with steaks? No, that’s not good, either. It looks like I’m not even trying. Wait, Belle came from a privileged household, so she must have grown up eating fine dinners. Perhaps crepes would be…oh, now it looks like I’m trying too hard! Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe I should call Belle, and....”

“Papa, stop!” Grace cried, hopping out of her chair and hurrying over to grab onto Jefferson’s arm as he reached for the phone. “Stop overthinking this! Belle’s not a stranger. She’s someone who has already spent time with us. And she even spent the night here. I think we’re a little past the point where you have to try to impress her.”

“It’s…slightly different,” Jefferson said. “Then, she was just a friend. Now, we’re… I don’t even know _what_ we are.”

“Okay, here,” Grace announced with an air of authority, turning to the cookbook in front of her father and flipping through it. “Go with this one: sautéed mushrooms and sausage, served over hot cooked noodles. And strawberry crepes for dessert.” For a brief moment, Jefferson looked over at the recipes Grace had picked out, but then he gave her a warm, grateful smile.

“What would I do without you, Grace?” he asked. “Alright, let’s make a list of what we’ll need, and then head out to the store. I can drop you off with your other parents on the way back.”

Before either of them left the kitchen, the sound of breaking glass was heard from the upstairs bedroom.

“What was that?” Grace asked.

“I don’t know,” Jefferson replied. “Stay here, I’m going to….” Jefferson stopped in midsentence when he heard the heavy sound of something running across the hall and down the stairs at top speed. Jefferson only had time to turn and push Grace behind the kitchen island when a flying monkey burst into the room. For a brief moment, Jefferson and the monkey simply stared at each other, but then they both moved at once. Jefferson made a valiant move towards the nearby knife block, but before he could get a firm grip on one of the knives, the monkey had managed to grab him, effortlessly lifting him off the ground as it took flight again.

“Papa!” Grace cried in alarm, peeking around her hiding place just in time to see the flying monkey carrying Jefferson off. In a blind panic, she scrambled out of the kitchen and ran outside after them, only to see the monkey soaring off into the sky. “PAPA!”

For what seemed like an eternity, Grace could only stare up at the sky, but she finally pulled her eyes away when she heard the sound of a car horn. Looking over, she saw a familiar set of cars approaching. Holding back tears, Grace ran towards the small line of cars. Even though the Mercedes was in the lead, it was the yellow bug which screeched to a halt first. Seconds later, Belle burst out, followed closely by Emma.

“Papa,” Grace cried, running right into Belle’s arms. “He’s gone! The flying monkeys took him.”

“We’re too late,” Emma bemoaned, looking out at the sky, only to see the flying monkey was no longer in sight.

“No,” Belle whispered, holding Grace closely, trying to hide the fact that she was shaking herself. “Please, not again.”

By now, the others had all exited their vehicles, David, Mary Margret and Henry from the Ford truck and Regina, Robin and Roland from the Mercedes. Neal was the last one to emerge, as it took him a while to maneuver himself out of the backseat of Emma’s bug.

“So….Zelena has everything she needs to cast her spell?” Robin asked in trepidation.

“Grace,” Emma consoled, crouching down to address the distraught girl. “It’s okay. We’ll get Jefferson back.”

“I sure hope you have a plan in mind,” Regina commented. “I was giving it my all back at the diner, and she still managed to overpower me.”

“We’ll think of something,” David insisted. “We always find a way.”

“Well, whatever idea you might have, I’d love to hear one.”

“Dad?” Henry chimed in. “There’s….something glowing in your pocket.” Henry’s observation caught everyone’s attention. Sure enough, there was something emanating light from within Neal’s pocket. When Neal took the object out, they saw it was a small crystal ball.

“What is that?” Emma asked.

“It was my dad’s,” Neal explained. “I…I found it at his castle, when I wound up back in the Enchanted Forest after Tamara shot me. It’s what helped me find out you were in Neverland. I don’t really know why, but I just…started carrying it with me ever since.” Without warning, Neal let out a quick yelp of pain and dropped the ball. “Aaah! It’s hot!”

Right before the ball hit the ground, it suddenly froze in midair, hovering a few inches above the pavement. Before everyone’s eyes, the image of a woman in a silvery blue dress materialized above the crystal ball.

“At last,” the woman said. “I’ve finally managed to make contact with you.”

“Who are you?”

“My name is Glinda. I’m one of the witches of Oz.”

“You’re from Oz? Does that mean you know about Zelena?” Belle questioned.

“Yes, I know her,” Glinda confirmed. “We were friends long ago, when things were different. But she made her choice. She gave into her dark magic. I tried to stop her, but I failed, and was banished to a pocket dimension. That’s why I hadn’t been able to contact you before now. Sending you this message across realms is extraordinarily difficult, and my power isn’t strong enough for that. The only reason I can do so now is because my sisters, Locasta and Kalinya, are aiding me. It’s taking the full strength of our power to break through the barriers of my dimensional prison. But even with our combined strength, we wouldn’t have been able to reach you if you didn’t have that crystal ball.”

“Why, is there something special about it?” Neal asked. “My father just used it to spy on people.”

“That’s because the Dark One was never unable to unlock the full potential of the ball,” Glinda stated. “The crystal ball was forged here in Oz, so only one who was in tune with the flow of magic in the ball’s native land could properly wield it.”

“How do you know my father was…?”

“I may be trapped in a separate dimension, but I still remain aware of what’s been happening in other realms. And I’ve heard many tales from your land. Including tales of your bravery.” The final part of her statement had been directed at David and Mary Margret.

“Is there a way you can come through properly?” David asked. “You said you knew Zelena. Perhaps, with your help, we can…”

“I’m _afraid_ my magic is not strong enough to defeat her,” Glinda interrupted. “It never has been.”

“Then how do we stop her? You have to help us. The soul of our unborn child is at stake. Not to mention the life of our friend. And Regina’s heart.”

“There is a way,” Glinda confirmed. “Zelena was born with great power. Long ago, I gave her a pendant to help focus it. Her magic has resided inside of it ever since.

“So, if we can remove it, she’ll lose her power and we can defeat her?”

“Indeed. But only a purveyor of the strongest light magic will be able to accomplish such a feat.”

“Light magic,” Mary Margret mused aloud. “Emma, it’s you! You’re the Product of True Love! The Savior!” Emma’s face blanched in shock, but before she could respond, Neal cut in.

“Hang on, isn’t there another way? I mean, does Emma _really_ have to resort to using magic?”

“If she is as pure and powerful as they say she is,” Glinda replied, “then yes. She, and only she, can defeat Zelena.”

Emma was suddenly aware of everyone’s expectant gazes directed at her. Instantly, she felt her skin start to prickle, along with a district buzzing in her ears. Before she was consciously aware of it, she was running towards her car and driving away, turning a blind ear to the voices calling after her.

* * *

By the time Emma’s mind caught up to her, she was halfway down the hospital corridor. She wasn’t entirely sure how she knew which way to go. It was as if her feet instinctively knew where she was headed. Sure enough, at the end of the hallway, she found the last door on the right standing open, allowing her to walk right in. Hook was lying on the solitary bed, with various wires connecting him to IV poles and heart monitors. But if it weren’t for the thick bandages affixed to his face and arms, it would have looked as if he were simply asleep.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Emma stepped into the room and dropped down into the seat that had been arranged next to Hook’s bedside. After a momentary pause, she began to speak.

“I really don’t know what I’m doing here,” she admitted. “And, perhaps I probably _shouldn’t_ have come here. I know it’s not fair of me to turn to you, considering how I’ve been acting around you these past few days, but….I couldn’t think of anywhere else to go. Or anyone else.” After taking a few deep breaths, Emma proceeded to spout out everything that had happened that day, from Zelena managing to collect the missing ingredients for her time travel spell to what Glinda revealed.

“I know I shouldn’t be surprised,” Emma went on. “I suppose I’ve always known it was going to be me, deep down. But it’s different hearing it stated out loud. And I don’t know if I can. Yes, I’m the Savior, but… what exactly have I done to warrant that title? I wasn’t the one who got Henry’s heart back in Neverland. That was Regina. And Gold was the one who defeated Pan once and for all, stopping him from recasting the Dark Curse in the process. That wasn’t me. The only thing I’ve done was wake up Henry after he ate the turnover that was meant for me. And, yeah, I also fought a dragon, but I didn’t know _what_ I was doing. Most of that was all chance. And now, everyone’s expecting me to defeat Zelena. But how am I supposed to do that? I barely even started with my magic lessons. I don’t know how to control my magic yet. So how am I supposed to overpower Zelena, when she was practicing magic before I was even born?”

Letting out another deep sigh, Emma wiped away a few tears of frustration. It was only then that she realized she hadn’t looked up from her lap as she unloaded her mental burden. Glancing over, however, she saw that Hook’s eyes had remained closed. Shaking her head and wondering why she even bothered trying to talk to someone who wasn’t even conscious, Emma pushed herself out of the chair and started to walk out.

“….ma.” Upon hearing the low voice, Emma stopped in her tracks. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Hook lying in bed, still clearly asleep. But his fingers were slightly twitching.

“Emma,” he muttered. “You can do this. You can do it, love.”

“Hook?” Emma whispered, barely able to even blink. “Can…. Did you actually hear me? Or are you just talking in your sleep while dreaming of something completely unrelated?” Hook didn’t reply to her question, but Emma realized she hadn’t expected him to. Either way, she was surprised to find that her mind felt a bit lighter, as if a weight had been taken away.

“Mom?” Upon hearing Henry’s voice, Emma turned down the hall to see him making his way over towards her.

“Henry,” Emma sighed, meeting him halfway and pulling the boy into a tight hug.

“Are you okay?” Henry asked. 

“Yeah,” Emma said after a brief pause. “Yeah, I’m okay, Henry. Sorry if I worried you. Where’s everyone else?”

“They’re coming now,” Henry explained.

“Good,” Emma stated. “Because…it’s going to take all of us to defeat Zelena. Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, we've made it to the final chapter before the big battle. Is everyone okay with the ingredients Zelena ended up utilizing. I figured Jefferson's brain would be a good backup for Rumple's, seeing as how he was the one who'd traveled to more lands than any other character. Plus, there's that whole bit about being the Mad Hatter.
> 
> The names I gave to the Witches of the North and East was taken from The Hidden History of Oz, Book One. I figured I'd have to go with the names they used in that book, as they were never given names in the show. At least, not to my knowledge.


	12. The Toll of Battle

In the run-down barn near the farmhouse, Zelena stood by, overseeing things as her legion of flying monkeys scratched out the necessary symbol into the dirt floor.

“Alright, that will do nicely,” she announced once the symbol was completed, stepping over to examine their handiwork. “Now, let’s see how the final ingredient is coming along.” With that, she marched out of the barn and made her way to the storm cellar, opening the doors with a wave of magic. Descending the steps leading into the storm cellar, she eyed the cage, where a hunched-over Jefferson was sitting with his back against the bars. The floor in front of him was littered with scraps of fabric, spools of thread, pins, and scissors. When Zelena opened the cage door and stepped inside, he showed no sign of reaction until she knelt down and reached for the object that was clenched in his hand.

“No,” Jefferson muttered, unable to even lift his head up to look at her. “No more. _Please_! No more.” Smirking cruelly at the state he was in, Zelena pried the newly constructed hat out of Jefferson’s hand and carried off, leaving the broken and dejected Jefferson behind in the cage. As she left the storm cellar, Zelena magically changed the hat into a brain constructed out of fabric.

* * *

From the shelter of the surrounding forest, Emma, Regina, Robin, Mary Margret and David watched as Zelena returned to the barn.

“Okay,” Emma said, turning to the others. “We’re going to need some kind of plan. If we try charging in without one, this probably won’t end too well for us.”

“Well, we have to save the baby’s soul,” David pointed out. “And Regina’s heart.”

“And there’s also the matter of the flying monkeys,” Robin reminded. “No doubt they’ll try to keep us from getting close enough to stop Zelena.”

“Not a problem,” Regina commented. “I can take care of the miserable apes.”

“Just remember, those creatures are our friends,” David replied.

“Don’t worry. I’ll use a gentle touch.”

“I can help run interference with Regina,” Mary Margret volunteered, glancing over at David. “It’ll give you a chance to get our child’s soul back.”

“And I got your heart,” Robin added, speaking directly to Regina.

“Well,” Emma mused. “That just leaves me to face Zelena.” Taking a shaky breath, Emma, focusing on trying to push aside the lingering clenching feeling in the pit of her stomach, followed after the others as they began to make their way towards the farmhouse, with Mary Margret and Robin readying their bows and David unsheathing his replacement sword.

By the time they reached the entrance of the barn, they saw Zelena was already beginning the ritual, standing in the center of the symbol etched into the ground, rivers of light connecting the four ingredients positioned at equal points around her.

“Zelena, stop this,” Regina demanded. “We’re not gonna let you succeed.”

“And how do you plan on stopping me,” Zelena challenged. “The _Savior_? I know for a fact that she can’t control her magic. I doubt she could even turn a fly into an olive.”

“Maybe I’ll surprise you,” Emma commented, hoping she was coming across as confident.

“Oh, please,” Zelena scoffed. With an effortless jerk of the head, she magically shoved Emma to the ground.

“Emma!” Mary Margret cried, kneeling down to see to her daughter. As she did so, Zelena glanced up at the rafters of the barn.

“Beautiful ones, if you will?” Immediately, the sounds of monkeys screeching filled the air. Glancing up, everyone saw a large number of flying monkeys perched overhead.

“Go, we’ve got your backs,” Mary Margret instructed, drawing her bow.

In the blink of an eye, the monkeys had all taken flight, darkening the sky like a swarm of flies. Acting quickly, Mary Margret and Regina began firing off a volley of arrows and fireballs, taking careful measure to aim for the wings, avoiding lethal blows.

Taking advantage of the cover being offered, David and Robin made their moves, heading towards Regina’s heart and the glass ball where the baby’s soul was encased. Before they could reach their intended targets, however, they were likewise thrown backward, the bales of hay breaking their fall. Before they could get to their feet, the strands of hay seemed to link together, forming magically strengthened chains, restraining them.

“Dad!” Emma exclaimed, hurrying forward to try and help free David. Before she could reach him, however, Zelena waved a hand, freezing Emma, Mary Margret and Regina in place. In almost the same moment, the monkeys all fell back at some unseen signal.

“I must admit,” Zelena commented, walking up towards them, directing her attention at Robin. “I can understand why my sister and the others are moving against me, but not you. Your son is no longer in danger. There is nothing you will face to lose if I succeed.”

“You’re plotting to kill Princess Eva,” Robin countered. “If you do that, you wouldn’t just be killing one person, but making it so even more people will never have been born.”

“Ah, so you’re looking to save lives. How noble,” Zelena said. “Well, what if I were to tell you that I didn’t have to kill anyone? I can just convince my mother to keep me, and raise _me_ as her daughter, instead.”

“But that would still prevent Regina from being born, wouldn’t it?” Robin asked.

“And here, I thought, you’d be _pleased_ by that turn of events.”

“Pleased that you’d be erasing Regina from existence? Why would I be happy about that?”

“Don’t you want your wife back?” Zelena asked with a cruel smile. At this question, Robin narrowed his eyes in obvious confusion.

“What do you mean?”

“You mean, you don’t _know_?” Zelena chuckled. “You don’t _know_ who is responsible for your wife’s death?” This question was met with an expression of surprise.

“Marian?” Robin whispered. “You know what happened to her?”

“Yes, indeed,” Zelena confirmed. “But I’m not the only one who knows. Isn’t that right, Regina?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Regina insisted.

“Oh, what’s wrong, Sis? Too much blood on your hands that you can no longer tell them all apart? Perhaps you need a little something to refresh your memory.” With a casual flourish of the hand, the mirror that normally resided in Regina’s vault appeared in her hands. Before everyone’s eyes, the mirror cast off a projection of a circular courtyard.

“That’s the courtyard of my father’s old castle,” Mary Margret realized, recognizing the image. “The one Regina took over when….” Her words died in her throat as the image of some Black Knights appeared in the projection. They were frog matching a woman along, leading her towards the center of the courtyard, where a wooden stake had been erected.

“Marian!” Robin cried out in alarm. “That’s Marian!”

As everyone watched in horrified silence as Zelena’s projection continued, the Black Knights bound the woman Robin identified as Marian to the stake. As they worked, Regina, or rather Evil Queen Regina, stepped into view. A strangled sound slipped out of Robin’s throat as his gaze shifted from the projection to Regina, who had grown suddenly pale. Everyone else was unable to look away, staring in shock as the projected image continued, showing Evil Queen Regina creating a fireball that she threw at the bound-up Marian.

“Enough!” Robin shouted as the image of Marian was enveloped in flames. Without a word, Zelena disrupted the magical recording, but the mocking smile remained on her face.

“So, tell me, Robin,” Zelena taunted. “Do you _still_ want to stop me from preventing Regina from being born, knowing that _she_ was the reason your boy lost his mother?” Robin didn’t reply, simply staring straight ahead in shock and dismay.

“Robin,” Regina breathed, visibly shaken. “I…I didn’t know. I…”

“Don’t,” Robin hissed. “Just…don’t.” Stricken, Regina swallowed back the rest of her words. Zelena, with a gloating look on her face, started to return to the center of the ritualistic symbol. As she began to cast her spell, the magic that was restraining everyone was disrupted. But everyone was still too shaken from the revelation of what happened to Robin’s wife to move. It was Emma who managed to work her way past the shock first.

“Zelena, wait!” she urged, stepping forward. “This isn’t the way to do this!”

“Oh, don’t waste your time with the inspirational speeches,” Zelena scoffed. “Leave that to your dear mother.”

“I get it,” Emma pressed on, disregarding what Zelena said. “I know you’re angry. Cora cast you aside. And then, you grew up alone. Alone and unloved. Never knowing why. Never knowing why you weren’t good enough. You never knew what it was like to feel loved. Never knew how it felt to be wanted. And then, you find out that all that time, your mother had another daughter. And the feeling like you weren’t enough only gets worse. What made that other daughter so special? What did she have that you didn’t? I know what that’s like. I’ve been there, too. I spent my entire life being shipped around from place to place. No one ever wanted me. Every time I thought I found a family who would love me, I’d always have the rug pulled out from under me, starting from when I was three, and my first family returned me to the system when they had their own baby. But here, in Storybrooke, I found my answers. I was able to find my parents, and my son, and people who really care about me. Yes, it doesn’t change what happened to me. It’s not going to erase the years I spent feeling alone. I can’t get all that lost time back. I can’t fix what happened. But that’s not what matters. What matters is what you do next. It’s about starting over, with a fresh start, and not letting past grievances hold you back. And if I can try to start again and build a new future, then so can you.”

For a long moment, Zelena just looked at Emma impassively. But then, her expression shifted into irritation.

“You know _nothing_!” she cried.

Without another word, Zelena fired off a magical blast at Emma. In response, Emma, without even thinking about it, lifted up her hands, producing a stream of magic of her own. The dual magical streams collided in midair, creating an arc of emerald green and white. For a brief moment, the combating magic hovered there, but then Zelena’s magic seemed to start to overpower Emma’s, swallowing up the white.

“Is that the best you’ve got?” Zelena taunted with a laugh. Briefly, Emma’s expression betrayed her feelings of hopelessness. Until she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Casting a discrete look over her shoulder, she saw David had managed to take advantage of Zelena’s distraction to retrieve the glass ball that held her unborn sibling’s soul. He and Mary Margret now stood side-by-side, looking at her with expressions that were a mixture of reassurance, faith and love. It was a look that she remembered seeing on Henry’s face quite often.

 _You can do this, love_ , said a soft voice, seemingly from the back of her mind.

Out of nowhere, Emma felt as if something shifted into place inside her body. Redirecting her attention back at Zelena, she was surprised to feel like the force of Zelena’s magic pushing hers back somehow felt weaker. Moments later, she realized that wasn’t the case. Zelena’s magic hadn’t lost its strength. Hers had actually gained it.

With a fresh resolve, Emma focused on pushing Zelena’s magical blast backward, finding that it was far easier than it had been before. And, from the expression on Zelena’s face, she seemed to notice that the tide had unexpectedly turned. Without warning, the dual magical blasts exploded outward in a blinding flash of light, and it was Zelena who was forced backward, landing on the ground hard. David, after quickly but gently placing the glass ball into Mary Margret’s arms, hurried forward and pulled Zelena to her feet, trapping her arms behind her back. For a brief second, Emma was too stunned to move, amazed that she had actually pulled it off. But when she saw David apprehending Zelena, she snapped out of it and hurried forward, ripping off the emerald pendant that hung from her neck. The moment the pendant was safely in Emma’s hand, the lights shining out from the ritualistic symbol on the ground faded, and the glass ball that Mary Margret was holding cracked, releasing the baby’s soul, which absorbed itself back into her womb.

“How?” Zelena asked, staring at Emma in amazement. “How were you able to….?” Emma found she couldn’t come up with a response, still unable to quite believe it herself. Before she could come up with something to say, the sounds of monkeys screeching filled the barn. Acting on instant, Emma turned towards the sounds, reaching for the gun that she had holstered around her waist, but before she could draw her weapon, the flying monkeys that were surrounding them transformed back into people in a burst of smoke.

“They’re back!” Mary Margret cried in ecstatic relief, moving towards them in an obvious attempt at tending to them. A relieved smile appeared on Emma’s face, but it faded when she caught sight of the two people in the barn who still hadn’t moved, let alone say something.

Robin was standing stock still, making an obvious attempt at not looking at anyone. The expression on his face was filled with anger, but his eyes held a haunted look. A short distance away, Regina was looking at him with a multitude of emotions on her face. After a brief pause, she cautiously stepped forward.

“Robin,” she whispered, tentatively reaching out. “I…I’m….I swear, I didn’t….” Robin didn’t reply, but when Regina’s fingers brushed against his arm, he quickly recoiled, directing a look of betrayal at her. Shaking his head, he turned and left the barn without uttering a single word. Regina watched him go with a tormented look on her face, unable to speak until Robin vanished from sight.

“I’m sorry,” she uttered. Without even acknowledging the presence of anyone else, she vanished in a cloud of purple smoke. Sharing looks of sorrow and sympathy, Emma and Mary Margret saw to the flying monkeys while David escorted Zelena away.

* * *

Emma and Mary Margret moved through the school gymnasium, which had been temporarily turned into a refuge center for the people who had recovered from becoming flying monkeys, helping the fairies and a few other volunteers in passing out blankets and mugs of warm sweet tea. As Mary Margret draped one of the blankets over the shoulders of Mrs. Clogg, she froze upon hearing someone speaking her other name.

“Snow?” the voice said in disbelief. Looking over, Mary Margret quickly spotted a young woman with long auburn hair, who was staring right back at her in amazement. Mary Margret’s eyes widened, recognizing her instantly.

“Aurora!” she cried, immediately bending down to hug her friend in greeting. “I can’t believe it!” Emma carefully maneuvered around her mother and Aurora, allowing them time to catch up, with Aurora introducing Mary Margret to Phillip, who was sitting nearby. While she couldn’t deny that it was nice to see Aurora again, she hadn’t bonded with the princess as much as her mother had.

As she continued on down the row of the restored citizens of Storybrooke, handing out mugs of tea as she went, she realized there was one person in particular who seemed to be staring at her. When she turned to return his gaze, the man started to speak.

“You’re Sheriff Swan, aren’t you?” he asked.

“That’s right,” Emma confirmed, realizing that the man looked slightly familiar.

“I thought so,” the man nodded. “I’ve seen the Captain with you and your family quite a bit the past few months.” Upon hearing that, Emma instantly realized who this person was.

“Oh!” she said. “You’re Starkey! Hook will be glad to know you’re back to normal. He, um… he told me how you used to serve under Liam.”

“He told you that?” Starkey exclaimed in amazement. “Well, blimey. I don’t think he even mentioned that to Milah.” Emma briefly looked away upon hearing that, unsure of how to feel about that information.

“If you could, Sheriff Swan,” Starkey continued, showing no sign that he noticed Emma’s embarrassment. “Would you return this to the Captain the next time you see him? And please, let him know I’m sorry it took so long to return it. But, given the circumstance, I wasn’t in the position to do so.” Emma glanced over again, curious as to what Starkey was giving her, but the moment she saw what it was, her jaw dropped in shock. It was a key to one of the rooms at Granny’s. Specifically, the key to Room Number 5.

“Where’d you get that?” Emma asked.

“The Captain gave it to me,” Starkey explained. “It was the day of that emergency town meeting you organized. He passed it to me right before he left to search the area beyond the town line.”

“Hook gave you….the key to Room 5?” Emma muttered, her mind frozen over in surprise. “Why?”

“Well,” Starkey replied, a sudden blush appearing on his face. “When the curse was still in effect, and I thought I was an accountant named Simon, my path crossed with a pretty lass. Her name is Beverly. Of course, it was Rita at the time, but that doesn’t matter. Anyway, Simon was too shy to approach her, convinced that the lady he fancied was out of his league. That is, until you arrived in town and the curse started to weaken. As it turned out, the attraction wasn’t one-sided, after all. But when the curse broke, Beverly and I weren’t sure what to make of the feelings we had for each other. It took us a while to realize that, while our memories and personality under the curse was a farce, we hadn’t stopped loving each other.”

“You’re saying….Hook gave you the key to his room,” Emma muttered, speaking slowly as she filled in the blanks. “So you and Beverly would have a place to go to reconcile your relationship. Which means…. _you_ were the one who was in the room that night.”

“He said that, after the centuries I’d spent remaining loyal to him, he was glad I….wait, where are you going?”

“I’m sorry!” Emma called back over her shoulder as she hurried out of the gymnasium. “There’s something I have to do!”

* * *

David steered his Ford truck up the drive, coming to a stop at the front steps of Jefferson’s estate. Putting the truck into ‘park,’ he turned to glance at the man sitting in the passenger seat, only to see that he wasn’t showing any intention of setting foot outside, and didn’t even seem to notice they’d arrived. Instead, he stared straight ahead, a blank expression on his face. Letting out a sigh, David stepped out of the truck and made his way around to the passenger side door, feeling sympathy for the man who he now considered a friend. It wasn’t until this moment that he fully appreciated how deep his mental scars went.

Opening the door, David had to physically coax Jefferson to step outside. When he finally did succeed, Jefferson maintained a firm grip on the heavy blanket draped over his shoulders, his eyes focused on the ground. While he allowed David to usher him forward, his expression remained devoid of life until the front door flew open, hitting the side of the house with a bang. Only then did he look up, just in time to see Grace running out of the house and making a beeline for him. The instant Grace’s presence properly registered, Jefferson was on his knees, catching her as she threw her arms around him. Taking this as his cue, David decided to head back home to give Jefferson some space. After all, he was now with his daughter, who could let them know if something unforeseen arose. Before climbing back into his truck, he smiled in acknowledgement at Belle, who had followed Grace outside.

As David drove off, Belle tentatively approached Jefferson and Grace. Seemingly sensing her presence, Jefferson glanced up at her. Meeting her eyes, a small, contented smile appeared on his face. Without breaking his hug with Grace, he reached out a hand towards her. For a brief moment, Belle’s eyes widened in surprise, but then she returned the smile and took Jefferson’s offered hand. In seconds, Belle was also on her knees, wrapping her arms around Jefferson as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To any Outlaw Queen shippers who are reading this, I'm sorry. I lowkey ship that pairing, myself. But it's always bothered me how the show never properly addressed the fact that Regina killed Robin's wife in the original timeline, or even showed how Robin felt about it.


	13. Healing Scars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is it, folks. While there will be an epilogue, this chapter will be the official end of this story. I hope it meets everyone's satisfaction.
> 
> Also, if anyone is interested in what Killian/Hook's injuries looked like, I posted a general idea of it on my Photobucket account:
> 
> http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c367/Data_Girl_3/Fanfiction%20Pics/Facial%20Scars_zpsgcmnb2rs.jpg

Emma made her way down the hospital corridor, internally trying to prepare herself for what she was planning to do, going over possible things to say in her mind. As she neared Hook’s hospital room, she heard Henry’s voice. Pausing for a moment, she listened as Henry talked about everything that had happened since the rescue of Roland.

“And that’s when Glinda, one of the witches of Oz, managed to contact us with a crystal ball Dad had gotten from his father’s castle when he was in the Enchanted Forest,” Henry said. “She told us that Zelena could only be defeated by Mom’s Light Magic. But Grace, Roland and I had to stay behind with Belle and Dad.”

“Well, I wouldn’t be too downhearted about being made to stay behind, lad,” Hook’s voice replied. “You already performed your part quite admirably, so you earned a respite. And besides, it is nice to have someone fill me on in what I missed. I’d say you were the _clearly_ the best man for the job.”

Emma stood frozen outside of the door, stunned to hear Hook’s voice. While she had planned on coming here to see him, she hadn’t expected him to be awake and alert. Perhaps she had been secretly hoping that he’d still be asleep when she arrived, allowing her a bit more time to settle her nerves. She knew she was probably being ridiculous, especially since she had already proven she could defeat Zelena. After that, how hard could this be? But that didn’t change the fact that she was feeling nervous. Almost as if she had to recite an entire speech in front of a large crowd.

“You’re back.” Emma nearly started upon hearing Neal speaking behind her, but she managed not to jump and simply turned towards him.

“Yeah, I am,” she replied.

“So…I take it that means it’s all over?”

“Yes, Zelena is in custody. She’s not going to be able to change the past.”

“Well, that’s good to hear,” Neal commented with a nod. “I suppose…this means there’s no need for me to take Henry out of town for a bit.”

“Oh,” Emma said. She had nearly forgotten about that. “No, I guess it isn’t necessary, anymore.”

“Right,” Neal agreed with a brief nod. For a few seconds, an awkward silence fell, until Neal pressed on. “But…I would still like to take Henry with me for a bit when I go back to New York, so….”

“Wait,” Emma exclaimed cutting him off. “You’re planning on _leaving_? Neal, do you have any idea how much that’s going to crush Henry?”

“Hey, just hear me out, okay?” Neal stated. “I’m only going back _temporarily_. Just to settle things up with the landlord and pack up the stuff that I left back there.”

“What?” Emma gaped.

“I _have_ thought about what you said,” Neal admitted. “About thinking about Henry first. And as much as I may want to keep him away from all of…this? Curses, and witches, and evil shadows? I know that this town is filled with people he cares about, and that those people care about him, too. And, since most of them can’t leave town; if we take him to live somewhere else, he’d probably be miserable. Because he wouldn’t be able to see anyone unless _we_ came back to visit them. So…I was talking to Belle about things this morning, right before everything went down. Trying to figure out what would be the best way for me to take over ownership of my dad’s old store.”

“You mean…you’re planning on taking over the pawn shop?” Emma asked.

“No, not exactly,” Neal explained. “You know, practically everything that was in that shop was the stuff he took from other people through underhanded deals or manipulation. And everyone in town knows that. Besides, apart from a few necklaces and other odds and ends, everything has been claimed by their rightful owners already. So, I was thinking of repurposing the place.”

“Into what?”

“Well, I know I never mentioned it, but…back when I was a boy, I really enjoyed drawing. And, before my dad became the Dark One and everyone became too afraid to even go near me, I was told I was pretty good.”

“Oh, right,” Emma said with a nod. “We saw your cave drawings back in Neverland.”

“Yeah, I guess you would have seen that. Anyway, I was thinking…maybe I could, I don’t know, try selling them in Storybrooke. And maybe if it works out, other people in town could offer the stuff they made, too.”

“You’re talking about turning Gold’s shop into an art dealer?”

“Yeah, I guess I am,” Neal confirmed.

“That’s…wow,” Emma stated. “That’s a _great_ idea.”

“You think so?” Neal asked, visibly thrilled Emma was on board with the idea.

“Of course,” Emma insisted. “Henry will be thrilled that you’re planning on sticking around permanently.”

“Yeah, it’ll be nice for the two of us to be there for Henry.” Instantly, Emma’s smile faded significantly.

“Neal,” she began, taking a deep breath of preparation. “If you’re thinking that, by you staying in Storybrooke, it means we’re going to pick up where we left off or something, then….please stop. I think it’s great that you want to be there for Henry, and I do want you to continue to be a part of his life. But, when it comes to you and me? I really don’t think that’s going to happen. I will always care about you, of course. You gave me Henry, and we had some good times together. But I’m not the same person I was back then. And I don’t want to try and rekindle what we had eleven years ago.”

“Yeah,” Neal said, clearly deflating a bit. “I guess I knew you’d feel like that. Even Hook pointed out that you might not take me back.”

“Hook said that?” Emma asked, her curiously piqued. “When?”

“When we first got back from Neverland. When he told me that he was going to back off a bit. To give me a fair shot.”

“He said that?”

“Yeah, said it was for Henry. He said it was because he wanted to give Henry the chance to see his parents back together.”

For a long moment, Emma couldn’t speak. Hook had really been willing to step aside out of concern for Henry? Her thoughts were interrupted when Henry suddenly appeared in the hall.

“Mom, you’re back!” he cried in excitement, immediately throwing his arms around her.

“Yeah, I am,” Emma replied with a nod, returning the hug. “Listen, Henry. Could you go with your dad for a bit? I’ll tell you all about what happened with Zelena later. Right now, I have to talk to Hook about something.”

“Okay. Can we get something to eat, Dad? I’m hungry.”

“Sure thing,” Neal agreed, ushering Henry off. Even after they’d rounded the corner, Emma had to take a few deep breaths before entering Hook’s room. However, she nearly staggered backwards when she caught sight of Hook, who was sitting up in the hospital bed, his eyes focused directly on her. One of the nurses had apparently removed the bandages, fully exposing the deep lacerations that covered the left side of his face. Hook, noticing her expression, gave her a cavalier smile.

“That bad, love?” he asked, giving her a wink. “I assure you, I’ve had far worse than this. And, at least we’ve skipped the handcuffs, this time.” In spite of herself, Emma felt the corners of her mouth tilt upward at his attempt at levity. But she was unable to formulate a reply. The sight of the extent of his injuries had wiped everything she’d planned on saying from her mind.

“I trust the witch was defeated?” Hook prompted. For a brief moment, Emma filled him in on what happened in the barn.

“And….that’s pretty much how it happened,” Emma concluded.

“So, Robin’s wife _is_ gone,” Hook mused.

“I wonder if things between him and Regina will ever be mended,” Emma added, feeling sympathy for Regina.

“Who can say? Finding out that someone you’d started to trust was actually directly responsible for the death of someone you loved? That can’t be an easy thing to come to terms with. All the same, we have to focus on the most important thing and remember Zelena was stopped. You’re a bloody hero, Swan.”

“So are you,” Emma pointed out. “I want to thank you… Killian.” Her words were cut off by the sudden intake of breath as Hook’s eyes snapped towards her face, wide with a mixture of disbelief and hopefulness. “If you hadn’t been there, Henry might have….”

“I hope you weren’t too hard on the lad,” Hook said. “He was only trying to help.”

“I know,” Emma agreed. “And, thanks to you, he got away unharmed.”

For a moment or two, a calm silence fell between them. Only then did Emma remember what she’d come here to say.

“Speaking of the monkeys,” she said. “When Zelena was defeated, they all changed back into humans. And… I have to tell you….I spoke with Starkey.” Slowly, Emma watched a dawning look of realization forming on his face.

“So….he told you what happened that night,” he concluded.

“Yeah, he did. And… I’m sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t give you the chance to explain. You tried to tell me what happened, and I didn’t let you. I refused to hear you out.”

“There’s no need to be sorry, Swan,” Killian insisted. “I know why you didn’t let me explain. I’ve always understood. Why do you think I didn’t try and explain myself to your father? I’m well aware of what my reputation was back in the Enchanted Forest. If I tried to say that it hadn’t been me that you heard that night, and that it had been someone else in the room, I knew even then that it would have just sounded like a made-up excuse. Especially since you heard what you believed to be _proof_ of my transgression with your own ears. And when Starkey disappeared, and later turned into a flying monkey; without him, I had no way of proving my story. So don’t blame yourself for thinking the worst of me. I know why you did.”

“That doesn’t mean it was right,” Emma insisted. “Especially after everything you’ve done since Neverland. I should have given you the chance to explain. For that, I’m sorry.”

“I still don’t think you have a reason to be sorry,” Killian replied. “But if it alleviates the weight on your mind, then I happily accept your apology.” Emma smiled in response to those words. Until she remembered something else she’d learned.

“Neal mentioned something a few moments ago,” Emma announced. “He told me about a conversation the two of you had after we returned from Neverland. Did you really tell Neal you were going to back off?” Immediately, a sheepish expression appeared on his face.

“I bear responsibility for Bae growing up without his mother,” Killian stated. “When Milah came and asked me to take her with me, I didn’t hesitate to comply with her wishes. I should have made more of an effort at advocating for her boy. I didn’t want to repeat the same mistake with Henry. He deserved the chance to see his parents reconcile, if it was possible.”

“You were really willing to step aside for Henry’s sake?”

“Aye.”

“And….what exactly would you have done then?” Emma challenged. “If I had tried to give Neal another chance, what would _you_ have done?”

“I would have waited,” Killian replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

“For how long?” Emma asked, her eyes wide in surprise.

“Forever. You’re a woman worth waiting for, Emma.”

For what felt like an eternity, Emma could only stare in amazement, unable to find the words. Just when Killian was about to try and come up with a joke, fearing he’d pushed a little too far, he saw her start to move her face closer to his. Realizing what was going on, he froze in place, unable to actually believe he wasn’t just dreaming this. Even his breath was frozen in his throat. It was only when he finally felt Emma’s lips brush against his that he was able to realize that this was really happening, and he responded in kind, pouring all the love he felt for her into the kiss. But when Emma’s hand came up to rest on his cheek, Killian was unable to hold back the low gasp of pain.

“Oh!” Emma exclaimed, jerking back in alarm, suddenly remembering his injuries. “I’m sorry!”

“It’s quite all right,” Killian reassured, smiling up at her gently. “I’d say it was well worth the pain.” Emma shook her head, but then her expression shifted as she began to consider something.

“There’s… something I want to try,” she said. “But…I’m not sure if it’ll work. For all I know, you might end up with three heads, or….”

“It’s okay, Swan,” Killian cut in without hesitation. “Go ahead and give it a try.”

“You don’t even know what I’m going to do,” Emma pointed out.

“It doesn’t matter. I trust you, Emma.”

Emma gulped, still feeling unsure. But she closed her eyes and concentrated, raising her hand to Killian’s face. After a moment, she experienced a feeling of warmth within her hand, along with a slight tingling sensation, as if her hand was starting to fall asleep. Moments later, the strange feeling subsided. Opening her eyes, Emma saw the wounds on Killian’s face had all vanished, without a single trace of a scar. Furrowing his brows, Killian reached up to feel his now-healed face. When he felt his injuries were gone, a large smile formed on his face.

“You really _are_ bloody brilliant, Emma Swan,” he said. With that, he propped himself up on his elbow, moving back in for another heartfelt kiss.

* * *

David stepped out of Granny’s with his to-go cup of coffee, planning to drink it while on patrol. Before he made it to the squad car that was parked nearby, he noticed a slight movement out of the corner of his eye. Turning his head, he saw Regina standing nearby, looking into Granny’s through the window, seemingly trying to spot someone. In a matter of seconds, he realized who it was.

“He’s not here,” David said, speaking gently. “I heard from Anton that he stopped by the bean field early this morning, to see if there were any beans ready. So he and Roland could go back.” Upon hearing this, Regina’s shoulders slumped in defeat.

“So he left Storybrooke, after all.”

“Well, he _might_ come back,” David pointed out. “Neal said he offered Robin his magic bean, but Robin said he wanted to bring along a second bean, just in case.”

“Do you think he will, though?” Regina muttered. “After…what he found out?”

“I….I don’t know,” David admitted. “The fact is, you _did_ cause the death of his wife, and left their son without a mother. That’s not something that you can easily fix. It might not even be _possible_ to fix things. You know, when you put Snow under the sleeping curse, I could sense something had happened to her. It felt as if half of my very soul had been ripped away. Even now, I think that, if I hadn’t been able to revive her, I don’t think I’d have found it in me to forgive you. However, I’m not Robin. So, the only person who could say for sure if Robin would forgive you is Robin himself.”

“And what am I supposed to do in the meantime?” Regina asked, grief filling her expression.

“The only thing you can do,” David suggested. “Wait, and hope. And above all, give him the time he needs to come to terms with it. And, if he decides he _can’t_ forgive you in the end, then you’ll have to accept that. Because somethings _can’t_ be mended.” Regina lightly bit her lip in response. It was clear she wasn’t happy with that answer, but couldn’t think of something to say in her defense.

“But for now,” David continued, switching gears, “perhaps you should try and focus on another matter.”

“Like what, exactly?”

“Well, there is _still_ the matter of Zelena. We’re keeping her in a cell down at the sheriff’s station for the time being, but we’re making plans to turn the psychiatric ward beneath the hospital into a long-term prison wing.”

“I want to just….incinerate her,” Regina admitted. “After what she’s done….”

“Isn’t incinerating people exactly what caused the rift between you and Robin?” David pointed out. Regina glared in response, but then let out a breath, conceding defeat.

“Then what do _you_ suggest I do?” she asked.

“Well,” David said, speaking slowly, choosing his words carefully. “I’m not sure you ever knew this, but… I used to have a twin brother. We were separated when we were only babies. I didn’t find out he even existed until after he’d died. But I since learned he was arrogant, cruel, deceptive, and a murderous, treacherous thief.”

“Is there a point to this?” Regina prompted.

“Despite everything he’d done,” David stated, “he was still my brother. Even now, I wish I’d gotten the chance to actually meet him. But I’ll never get that chance, because he’s dead. But you, Regina? You still have that chance. You can still get to know your sister. You have an opportunity that I’ll never have. And, while I know I can’t tell you how to live your life, I can say that, if I were in your position, I wouldn’t waste this chance.”

Regina didn’t respond right away, but when she finally looked up to face David, she saw he had already climbed into the nearby squad car and drove off, leaving her with her thoughts.

* * *

Even though she didn’t look away from the wall of her prison cell, Zelena somehow knew who had entered into the station.

“Why, Regina?” she asked as Regina took a seat on the couch positioned in front of the cell. “Why not just kill me and put me out of my misery?”

“Because I know why you did what you did,” Regina replied. “We're much alike. Our mother ruined you, too. I know what it's like to not have the life you wanted... the life you feel you deserve.”

“Oh, boo-hoo.” Zelena scoffed. “You got to be _Queen_. I saw it all. You had _everything_.”

“So, you missed the part where Mother killed the man I loved? I _never_ wanted that life. That was the life our mother picked for me. I wasn’t allowed to have a say. But now, I do. Now, I can chose to build a new life. With my son, and everyone else in this town. And you can, too. If you _really_ feel you deserved what I’ve got, here’s your chance. You can have a second chance, the way I had one.”

“What if I don't want it?” 

“Well, that would be a mistake, dear. Take it. Use it. Evil isn't born. It's made. And so is good. If I were you, I'd consider creating a new destiny.”

Before leaving the sheriff station, Regina paused by the door and turned back to glance at Zelena, who was still clearly sulking.

“Zelena? As someone very recently pointed out to me, in spite of everything, you and I are still sisters. Perhaps this is our chance to start over. Start from scratch. Just…think it over.” Zelena, however, showed no indication that she was even listening, refusing to even look over at Regina, even after the sound of her departing footsteps faded away.

* * *

Mary Margret exited the hospital, immediately noticing Emma waiting by her yellow bug.

“Thanks again for stopping by to pick me up on such short notice,” Mary Margret said when she stepped over to greet Emma.

“Of course,” Emma agreed. “How’s the baby?”

“Oh, just fine. According to the ultrasound, it looks like he or she didn’t suffer any noticeable effects from being without a soul for that brief amount of time.”

“Sounds like a tough kid,” Emma commented. “Should we call David and tell him the news?”

“Yeah, I’m sure he’d like to hear that,” Mary Margret agreed. “It would be a nice bit of good news to get him through the paperwork at the station.”

“Wait, _paperwork_?” Emma cut in. “What paperwork? The text he sent me said he was out looking at cribs and strollers.”

“Oh,” Mary Margret said, her eyes widening upon realizing she was caught.

“Okay, what’s going on?” Emma asked, frowning in suspicion. Is Dad at the station or not?”

“Well, I guess there’s no point in pretending, anymore,” Mary Margret relented. “The truth is, I didn’t call you down here because your father was busy. It was because I was hoping we could have lunch together. Just the two of us. I can’t remember the last time we’ve done that.”

Emma gave a wry smile. The truth was, she knew exactly when the last time they’d had gone out to lunch had been. It had been before the curse had been broken, when they were celebrating the fact that Kathryn had been found alive and well and the murder case against Mary Margret had been subsequently thrown out. But Emma chose not to mention this.

“Yeah, that does sound nice,” Emma announced, hoping that this wasn’t going to be Mary Margret’s attempt to ask her if she was _sure_ she made the right decision in regards to Neal and Ho.... well, _Killian_.

Emma wasn’t quite sure how, but somehow, the entire town seemed to have learned overnight that Sherriff Swan and the notorious Captain Hook had begun some sort of relationship. Just today, from the time she’d dropped Henry off at the bus stop to driving out to the hospital to pick up Mary Margret after her checkup, she’d already had twelve people asking her about it. Quite a few people seemed to think it was only a temporary thing and that it would end as soon as they’d satisfied their lust. She supposed that it had been a good thing Killian had agreed to just take things slow for a while. Just until the gossip had died down a bit. In fact, he seemed to understand exactly why Emma had wanted to keep it on the down low for a bit. Even so, she’d still found a take-out mug of still-warm hot cocoa with cinnamon from Granny’s waiting for her on the hood of her bug this morning. She couldn’t deny the small gesture had brought a smile to her face.

“Oh, and there’s another thing,” Mary Margret continued, unaware of the direction Emma’s thoughts had taken. “I have something for you.” With this said, she reached into her oversized purse and pulled out a lumpy parcel that had been wrapped in floral wrapping paper. “Here, open it,” Mary Margret urged, handing Emma the parcel. Emma took the present in slight confusion, but opened it without a word. As she tore off the wrapping paper, something slipped out and Emma reached out quickly to catch it before it fell to the ground. Upon grabbing it, she realized it was a hot pink cotton T-shirt. Noticing that there was something written on the front of the shirt, she held it up for closer inspection. The moment she could make out the words, which were written in large blue letters arranged around the image of a rainbow, her eyes widened in surprise.

_World’s Coolest Big Sister_

“Your father and I haven’t forgotten, you know,” Mary Margret reminded. “We remember what you told Zelena that day in the barn. We wanted you to know that wasn’t what we were doing now. Just because we’re having this baby, it doesn’t mean we’re trying to replace you. It doesn’t mean we think you’re not good enough. ”

“Mom, I….” Emma was cut off when Mary Margret pulled her into a tight hug.

“I promised you in Neverland that I was going to do everything in my power to prevent you from feeling like an orphan again,” she said. “I plan on keeping that promise. So please, promise me that if there’s _ever_ a moment when you start to feel like we _are_ replacing you, or that we don’t think you’re good enough for us, just let us know, and we’ll do our best to fix it. As a family. Okay?”

“Okay,” Emma replied, returning the hug.

* * *

Jefferson made his way through the Storybrooke market, filling his basket with the things he needed for tonight’s dinner. It had been a few weeks since Zelena had been defeated, and despite a few lingering nightmares, he was actually starting to feel normal for the first time in a long time. While he knew that he probably should attribute some of that progress to the weekly sessions with Archie, which Belle and Grace had both encouraged him to start having, he actually felt that he wouldn’t have gotten quite this far if it hadn’t been for their constant presence and comfort.

Since David had driven him home that afternoon, Belle had become a frequent visitor at his home. This was especially true on the days that Grace was staying with her other parents. Sometimes, Hook would accompany her, usually just to shoot the breeze, and even David and Emma would occasionally stop by to check up on him. But Belle’s presence had become so commonplace, it just felt natural somehow. So when he discovered Belle’s chipped teacup had suddenly started taking up residence in his china cabinet, he was amazed to discover he wasn’t even surprised by it. Instead, he’d ended up reminding Belle that they’d never gotten the chance to have the dinner they’d planned on having, due to Zelena’s interference. Even now as he gathered up the ingredients for that dinner, Jefferson could clearly picture Belle’s smile as she announced she’d been waiting for him to reschedule.

As he reached out to select a tray of mushrooms, Jefferson suddenly sensed someone’s eyes on him. Looking up, he saw a man standing across from him.

“So, I suppose _you’re_ the man Belle has been spending so much time with,” he commented.

“You’re…. Belle’s father,” Jefferson realized.

“And I hear that you’re having my daughter over for dinner, tonight,” Moe replied.

“Well, I… yes, that’s right,” Jefferson confirmed, realizing he was suddenly feeling nervous.

“Good of you to admit it,” Moe stated. “Now that _that’s_ out of the way…. I won’t deny I haven’t always done right by my daughter. I’ve made my mistakes. I admit that. But Belle’s well-being has always been my first priority.”

“Mr. French, I know what you’re trying to say,” Jefferson announced. “I have a daughter, too. But you should know, whatever this might be between Belle and me? It’s still fairly new. With that said…I care for her a great deal. So I’m going to do my best to not mess it up. And, if this _does_ end up going somewhere, I have no intention of making the same mistake I made with Priscilla. I won’t ever forget that, apart from Grace, she’d be the most important person in my life.”

For a tense moment, Moe simply eyed Jefferson, as if sizing him up. But then, a reluctant smile appeared on his face.

“You know, I suppose there is something good to be said about your daughter falling in love with the Dark One,” Moe said. “Anyone after that would be a significant improvement.”

“I _think_ that’s a complement,” Jefferson mused.

“For the record, I meant it as one,” Moe admitted. Seconds later, Moe reached out a hand, in a clear invitation of a cordial handshake, which Jefferson accepted.

“So,” Moe continued as they went back to picking out their groceries. “Do you plan on going with her?”

“Going with her?” Jefferson repeated. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“She didn’t tell you?” Moe asked in surprise.

“Tell me what?”

“About the expedition into the Enchanted Forest,” Moe explained. “Belle was talking about going back there. She didn’t mention it to you?”

“Well…. Like I said, it’s still in the early stages,” Jefferson pointed out with a shrug.

“Yes, you did say that,” Moe agreed. However, Jefferson still felt slightly uneasy after hearing about Belle’s plans.

* * *

Regina hesitantly made her way through the woods, feeling her trepidation increasing with each step. Even now, she had no idea what she was going to say. She didn’t even know if he’d even let her speak. But when she overheard the dwarfs talking about seeing Robin making his way into the forest at the edge of town with a group of men, she had to see for herself.

Before long, she’d made it to a clearing within the woods. Sure enough, Robin was there, along with a fair number of people who clearly were members of the Merry Men. They were all hard at work pitching up tents within the clearing. After a few moments, she saw Roland stepping into view, carrying a small bundle of sticks in his arms. A small smile of fondness appeared on Regina’s face as she watched Robin crouch down to talk to Roland. She was so focused on watching them interact that she didn’t notice Roland had spotted her until she saw him pointing over at her, with Robin turning to look. Letting out a surprised gasp, Regina slightly stepped back, unable to overlook the guarded expression that had appeared on Robin’s face when he saw her. For a long moment, they simply stood where they were, staring at each other. Finally, Regina bowed her head, taking a few steadying breaths to calm herself. Only then did she find the courage to move into the clearing, making her way towards them.

“Hello,” she greeted once she was close enough. “I… I realize I’m probably the last person you wanted to see. But, when I heard the rumors that you were back, I just had to see if they were true.”

“I almost _didn’t_ come back,” Robin admitted after a lengthy pause. “But a large group of ogres had taken up residence not too far from Sherwood. We decided it was no longer safe to remain where we were. I was able to convince my men that, all things considered, Storybrooke was probably far safer. At least, there are no ogres here. Besides, Roland missed Henry and Grace. And Granny’s breakfasts.”

“Of course,” Regina agreed with a quick nod. “They’ll be glad to see him, again.”

For a brief moment, the pair stood in an awkward silence, unable to meet each other’s eyes. Then, Regina was able to summon up the courage to say what she’d come here to say.

“Robin, I need you to know…. I’m sorry. I’m truly, deeply sorry. If I could take it back somehow, I would. Without hesitation.” Robin didn’t show any indication that he’d heard her and continued to stare off in the other direction. Feeling disheartened but unsurprised, Regina sadly turned to leave.

“Regina?” Upon hearing him call her name, Regina froze, her eyes wide in reluctantly hopeful surprise. “We were…about to prepare breakfast. Perhaps…you could stay.”

“Are you sure?”

“In spite of everything, I haven’t forgotten that you did everything you could to help get Roland back from Zelena,” Robin said. “I am grateful for that, at least. So, you may stay and have breakfast with us, if you want.”

“I’d like that,” Regina replied with a quick but grateful smile.

* * *

“Jefferson, are you okay?” Belle’s question snapped Jefferson out of his thoughts and he glanced up from the plate he was washing to see she was looking back at him in concern.

“Yes, I’m fine,” Jefferson said without a thought.

“Are you sure?” Belle pressed on. “Because you were rather quiet all evening. Even for you.”

Jefferson averted his eyes in slight embarrassment. He’d been hoping to act natural during dinner, but he’d apparently hadn’t succeeded. Realizing the jig was up, he decided to just go right for the throat.

“I… I ran into you father, today,” he announced.

“He didn’t give you a hard time, did he?” Belle asked.

“No, nothing like that,” Jefferson stated. “But…he _did_ mention something about you possibly going back to the Enchanted Forest.” Upon hearing this, Belle let out an irritated huff, shaking her head.

“I can’t believe he told you that,” she sighed. “I only said it was something I’d _thought_ about.” After a pause, Belle met Jefferson’s eyes and started to explain. “I was having lunch with Leroy yesterday. He and I crossed paths once in the Enchanted Forest, a few years before the Dark Curse was cast, and we became friends for a brief amount of time. But this had been the first chance we’d gotten to actually catch up with each other. Anyway, we….. You remember how we’d cleared out most of the objects in Gold’s shop and returned them to their rightful owners, of course. But, when I was talking to Leroy, I remembered that there were _more_ objects that Rumpelstiltskin had gathered. Things that never made it to the pawn shop. Back in the Enchanted Forest, he had a vault, hidden within his castle. In a room with no doors. He said he stored the most dangerous and unstable magic down there. And I guess I just started thinking. With Rumpelstiltskin gone, how can we be sure that someone won’t unknowingly stumble across that vault and come into contact with something he’d stored there?” “

So you’re suggesting….?” Jefferson prompted.

“Maybe it would be wise to send some people back to the Enchanted Forest in order to properly dispose of or seal off whatever’s in that vault, to make sure no one could get their hands on it,” Belle stated. “Leroy said he’d mention it to the fairies and see if any of them would be willing to help organize an expedition. And hopefully convince some of them to join it. After all, since the expedition would be dealing with powerful magic, it seems prudent to have good magic wielders around.”

“Leroy thinks he can persuade some of the fairies to do this?”

“Well, he apparently has a close friend among the fairies,” Belle stated.

“This is what your father was talking about, then?”

“I’m really sorry you had to hear about it from him,” Belle apologized. “The truth is, I was going to mention something to you sooner, but I decided it didn’t really matter, because I decided against going.”

“You’re not going? How come? I mean, you probably knew more about Rumpelstiltskin than anyone else in town. So you’re sure to be a great help in helping with the expedition.”

“I probably _could_ be of use,” Belle allowed. “But…the thing is, I’d actually hoped that… _you_ would go with us.”

“Me?” Jefferson blinked in surprise.

“I’m not the only one who spent time with him, remember?” Belle reminded. “You told me yourself that you and Rumpelstiltskin used to have a partnership. So, I thought you’d be able to help offer some insider knowledge on the contents of the vault. But I was hesitant to ask you because I was worried that it would interfere with your sessions with Archie. They do seem to be working, after all. Grace mentioned you weren’t crying out in your sleep anymore. I didn’t want to make you think you had to put yourself in a situation that might set you back. And if _you_ weren’t going, then I really didn’t have much interest in going, either, so….”

“Belle, I can’t” Jefferson interrupted, suddenly looking extremely upset and scared. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate your concern, but… while it shouldn’t stop you from going, I _can’t_ just up and go back to the Enchanted Forest like that. And no, it’s nothing to do with my sessions.”

“Then what’s wrong?” Belle asked. Jefferson was unable to reply, but a look of knowing soon passed over Belle’s face. “It’s because of Grace, isn’t it? You’re worried about leaving Storybrooke because you haven’t forgotten what happened when you went to Wonderland on Regina’s orders.”

“The last time I went away, I promised Grace I’d be back in time for our tea party,” Jefferson whispered. “But I kept her waiting for over 28 years. After that, I _swore_ I would not leave her ever again, no matter what the incentive might be.”

“Papa, you know this isn’t the same,” Grace suddenly announced, stepping into view and surprising both Jefferson and Belle with her sudden appearance.

“Grace, I thought you were doing your homework upstairs,” Jefferson exclaimed.

“I was, but I finished it already,” Grace said. “But Papa, this isn’t the same as last time. When you left home back then, it was because Regina made you think you had to prove something. It’s because you thought we needed more than what we had to be happy. But this time, you have the chance to help a lot of people by keeping them safe. And you’d be helping make the Enchanted Forest much safer if we all ever had to go back for good. If there’s something inside Rumpelstiltskin’s old vault that could fall into the wrong hands, we should do something about it. Before someone like Cora or Pan can find it.”

“But…you’re not afraid that I won’t make it back?” Jefferson asked.

“No, because this time, you’d be with Belle, and a group of other people that we all trust,” Grace pointed out. “They wouldn’t trick you and leave you stranded without a way to come back. Please, Papa. Just say you’ll _think_ about going. Especially if it’ll end up helping people.”

Jefferson was quiet for a long time, considering what Grace was talking about. As he thought, he continued to glance between Belle and Grace.

“All right,” he finally stated. “I’m not promising anything. But…tomorrow, I’ll bring it up with Archie during our session. See if he thinks an extended trip into the Enchanted Forest would be a good idea. And…if he thinks it’ll do me some good…then I’ll try to consider it.”

“Of course,” Belle agreed to that, stepping forward to copy Grace’s example and pull him into a supportive hug.


	14. Epilogue

It took every last ounce of self-control for Emma to refrain from pinching herself, just to make sure this wasn’t just a dream. When David and Mary Margret had asked her to meet them at Granny’s for lunch, she hadn’t expected to find an entire buffet of food prepared, along with the most gorgeous six tier cake she’d ever seen, decorated with pastel blue buttercream icing, golden fondant and gum paste flowers. To top it all off, there was a mountain of presents piled on one of the tables, all for her. That alone was enough to leave Emma stunned. It had been years since she’d gotten an actual birthday present that she hadn’t had to purchase herself. But what had been the most welcome surprise was the number of people who had arrived for the surprise party. Of course she expected to see her parents and Henry, and even Neal and Regina’s presence wasn’t a huge surprise. But there was also Granny, Marco, Pinocchio, Archie, Tinkerbell, Anton, Ashely and Sean with little Alexandra, Phillip and Aurora, Ariel and Eric, Grace with her cursed parents, and even Nicholas and Ava with their father, Michael Tillman. And, as Emma continued to look around the room, she could spot Robin and Roland, sitting in the corner with the rest of the Merry Men, a few of the former Lost Boys, the dwarfs, and even Starkey, who had an arm casually draped over Beverly’s shoulder. It was almost unbelievable to see so many people had showed up to this surprise party David and Mary Margret had organized. The only people who seemed to be missing were Jefferson, Belle, Ruby, and everyone else who had ventured into the Enchanted Forest to secure the contents of Rumpelstiltskin’s vault. Well, them and Killian, who Emma couldn’t help but notice was conspicuously missing.

Throughout the party, Emma kept trying to make covert glances around the diner, looking for a sign of the missing pirate, but he never showed up, even when she had finished opening up her presents and the cake was being distributed. Deep down, she couldn’t help but feel confused and hurt by his absence. She didn’t _think_ they’d had a fight. Everything had seemed rather normal yesterday, when he’d stopped by the sheriff’s station to bring her lunch of grilled cheese and onion rings. And, since it was proving to be a slow day, Emma had invited him to stick around so they could watch a movie together. Killian had been slightly sour after Henry had finally showed him the Disney movie, _Peter Pan_ , so when Emma had located a copy of a live-action movie called _Blackbeard’s Ghost_ , she had purchased it without hesitation, hoping it would make him feel better. After all, from what she’d recently learned from him and Starkey, Killian and the actual Blackbeard loathed one another. In spite of her discouragement at Killian’s current absence, Emma couldn’t help but smile at the memory. It had been the first time she’d seen Killian laughing so openly.

At one point during the party, Grace had approached her with the small enchanted mirror she’d been carrying around since Jefferson had left with the Enchanted Forest expedition. The mirror had been part of an unofficial homework assignment Regina had issued her during their ongoing magic lessons, when Emma was learning the spell they’d used to contact Henry in Neverland. With the mirror, Grace had been able to keep in contact with her father while he was away, as he’d been given the other half. Today, however, Jefferson, Belle and Ruby had all decided to use the mirror in order to wish Emma a happy birthday, and to convey their regret that they couldn’t be there in person. They’d also given the Nevengers a brief update on their progress at Rumpelstiltskin’s vault. So far, the process of properly disposing the more dangerous artifacts had been going quite well, apart from a slight incident that had involved a stone gargoyle coming to life. Thankfully, that had been alleviated fairly quickly, with the worst injuries being a few scrapped knees and a bloody nose. At the present time, the fairies were investigating a strange golden urn that had been located within a cabinet.

After their absent friends completed briefing everyone on the status of the mission, Ruby had changed the subject to ask Mary Margret how the baby was doing, now that she was starting to show. As Mary Margret continued to talk with her best friend, Emma took the chance to join her father by the counter, where he was helping himself to more of the punch that had been provided.

“Thanks again for putting this all together,” Emma said, slightly leaning against the counter as she spoke.

“Of course, Emma,” David replied. “Your mother and I realize, of course, that this is probably not enough to make up for the past 29 years, but we hope it’s a start. And if anything, you can see how many people there are who care for you.”

“Yeah, I guess I can,” Emma agreed. However, her smile was short-lived, and she once again scanned the room for the one face that was still missing.

“Emma,” David suddenly spoke again. When Emma turned towards him, she saw he looked reluctant about something.

“What’s wrong?” she asked. David didn’t reply right away, making a slight groaning noise in the back of his throat. Finally, he went on.

“I’m…still not completely okay with this,” he stated. “But…all things considered, I suppose you could have done worse.” Before Emma could ask him to explain what he was talking about, David pulled out an envelope from his pocket and handed it to Emma.

“What is it?”

“Hook asked me to give that to you,” David explained. “He said it had something to do with your birthday present from him.” Curiosity getting the better of her, Emma promptly opened the envelope and pulled out a small note that was written in an elegant script.

_Swan,_

_Happy birthday, love. If you wish, meet me at my ship after your birthday luncheon. Be sure to dress warm._

_-Killian_

Tearing her eyes away from the letter, Emma saw her father was giving her a slightly reluctant smile.

“Go on, then,” David ordered. “I’ll make your excuses for you. Don’t keep him waiting.”

“Thanks,” Emma said, giving him a quick hug before ducking out of the diner, directing herself in the direction of the loft apartment for a change of clothes.

* * *

Emma made it to the docks when it was still relatively early in the afternoon. As she neared the Jolly Roger, she caught a glimpse of Killian standing at the bow of the ship, seemingly scanning the horizon. But when she reached the foot of the gangway, he turned towards her, as if sensing her presence.

“Permission to come aboard, Captain,” Emma called up to him, a teasing smile on her face.

“Your presence is always welcome, your highness,” Killian replied, making his way across the deck to meet her at the gangway platform, offering her his hand to help her on board. “I hope your birthday luncheon was enjoyable.”

“It was,” Emma said. “But I did wonder why you never showed up.”

“My apologies. I assure you my absence was not meant as a personal slight against you. I simply needed to make sure everything was ready if you responded to my note.”

“Did you think I wouldn’t show up?”

“Well, I confess I had my doubts that your father would actually comply and pass the message on to you.” Killian confessed. “I’m not so sure he approves of me.”

“Just give him time,” Emma suggested with a smirk, remembering what David had said when he had given her the letter. “He might not be as opposed to you as you might think. So….you were saying you wanted to make sure everything was ready. Ready for what, exactly?”

“Well,” Killian shrugged, lightly scratching at his ear. “I admit I still don’t know much about the customs in this land, but from what Henry was telling me the other day, birthdays here are generally the same as they are in the Enchanted Forest. Including the offering of presents.”

“Yeah, that is the general idea,” Emma confirmed. “But if this is your roundabout way of saying you got me something, you could have just came to the party at Granny’s.”

“Yes, except….my gift wasn’t something I could simply bring to you,” Killian explained. “ _We’re_ the ones who have to do the traveling. That’s why I didn’t join in the festivities earlier. I was going over the maps and charts, plotting the best course to take.”

“Best course?” Emma repeated in confusion.

“There was a reason I requested you to dress warm,” Killian pointed out. “We’ll be taking the Jolly Roger on a bit of an evening trip. I’ve already arranged things with your parents, and Henry’s staying with Neal tonight, so you’re completely free for the rest of the day.”

“Is that right?” Emma asked with a smile. “And where might we be going?”

“That’ll be a surprise, love,” Killian commented with a wink. “Now, are you ready to go?”

“Yeah, sure,” Emma agreed. “So, should I untether the ship, or….?”

“The term is actually releasing the mooring lines. But you don’t need to lift a finger. This is _your_ day. Just sit back and relax.” Emma rolled her eyes, but obediently took a seat on the small set of stairs leading up to the helm, simply watching as Killian went about preparing the Jolly Roger to set sail.

Before long, the ship was finally making her way out to sea, with Storybrooke’s harbor slowly fading from sight. Once they were out in the open ocean, Killian announced that they might be out at sea for a while, which led to them swapping stories to pass the time. Killian recalled some of the adventures he had with Liam, during their days in the Royal Navy, while Emma told him about some of her most memorable cases as a bail bonds person, including her final case with Ryan. As she finished that particular story, she let out a small chuckle.

“That was the same night when Henry appeared at my door to bring me to Storybrooke,” she said. “I can’t believe that was exactly a year ago today.”

“And what a year it was,” Killian commented in agreement.

“You know, you never explained that comment you made that one time,” Emma stated, suddenly remembering. “When we were talking about me continuing learning magic from Regina, when the whole mess with Zelena was just starting, you mentioned something about seeing Cora try and take my heart.”

“Aye, I did.”

“Except you were lying unconscious at the time,” Emma reminded. “I knocked you out, remember? So, how were you able to see that?” Killian didn’t reply and fixed his gaze straight ahead, as if he hadn’t heard Emma’s question. But when she saw the reddish flush coloring his cheeks, Emma’s eyes widened in realization. “Are you saying you were _faking_?!”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, love, but it was obvious that you’d never been in a duel before that day,” Killian said with a sheepish shrug. “But with Cora watching, I couldn’t make it too obvious, could I?”

“So you…you let me win?”

“Not quite, but I admittedly wasn’t giving it my all back then.”

“Why?”

“I thought the answer to that was obvious, Emma. You were so desperate to get home to Henry, it was clear how much you loved your boy. Even then, I couldn’t help but want to see you succeed. And while _I_ had another way to get to Storybrooke, with Anton’s bean and Lake Nostros’ restorative waters, the compass and ashes was your only chance at getting home to your son. As…upset as I might have been after you left me behind, I realized I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if I knowingly broke up another family.”

Emma, feeling moved by that admission, leaned forward to kiss his cheek. But before there was a chance to do more than that, they were interrupted by an unexpected sound. Turning in unison, they watched the water spout rising out from the ocean surface.

“Is that….?” Emma gaped in wonder, moving closer to the railing. Looking over the side, she saw a small pod of humpback whales swimming past, breaching the water. “Wow! I’ve never been this close to a whale before!”

“Yes, I didn’t think you would have,” Killian said, joining her at the railing.

“Is this what your big surprise was?” Emma asked.

“No, we’re not _quite_ at our destination yet. But I was hoping we’d come across them on the way. Henry and Grace helped me find the information about their migratory patterns on those magic boxes at the library, but it sounded as if they would have already left for warmer waters by now. I suppose these are the stragglers. It looks like we just got lucky.”

“So, if this isn’t what you were planning, then what is it?”

“Patience, Swan. We’re nearly there.” Emma frowned slightly, wondering how he was able to tell something like that. That’s when she noticed that the air was starting to grow colder, and the daylight was slowly fading. Glancing at her watch, she saw it was only around five in the evening. Much too early for sunset.

Before she could formulate a question, Killian’s face lit up and he pointed out at the horizon.

“There!” he announced. “Do you see that?” For a few moments, Emma stared blankly in the direction Killian was pointing in, unable to see what she was supposed to be looking at. But after a minute or two, she noticed a faint dark shape in the distance. She slowly realized it was land.

“Is that where we’re going?” she asked.

“It is,” Killian confirmed.

“And where exactly are we?”

“An island that I believe you call Iceland.”

“Wait, _Iceland_? We’re in Iceland?” Emma cried, eyes wide in shocked amazement. “But…we only left Storybrooke a few hours ago! Iceland is…..”

“As I told your parents and the loud dwarf some time ago, my ship is a marvel. And I’m a hell of a captain.” Emma chuckled softly, shaking her head. She now understood what Killian had meant when he advised her to dress warm. As she continued to watch Iceland’s coast grow closer, the sun continued its descent, turning the sky red and orange. After a while, however, Emma realized that the sky was also beginning to display a shimmering green light. At first, she was confused by the unusual color of the sunset, but then realization sank in.

“It’s the Northern Lights!” she gasped. Turning her head to take in Killian’s reaction, she noticed that he was looking right back at her, a wide smile gracing his face. Immediately, she realized that he’d known that the Northern Lights would appear. “You mean….Killian, did you _really_ bring me here to see the Northern Lights?”

“I’d hoped it was something you’d appreciate,” Killian said simply. “I understand that most people can live their whole lives without seeing them in person. Now, you don’t have to be one of them.” Emma let out a choked gasp of amazement, unable to tear her eyes away from this man. She couldn’t believe that he’d successfully surprised her once again. From saying he’d been willing to step aside and wait for her, regardless of how long, to admitting he’d secretly worked to ensure she’d be able to return to Storybrooke, and to Henry, and now he brought her all the way out to Iceland, just so she’d be able to see the Northern Lights up close. Unable to formulate a verbal response to express what she was feeling, Emma slowly closed the distance between them, initiating a slow, languid kiss, which he responded to in kind.

* * *

Killian carefully made his way into the Captain’s Quarters, being very careful to not jostle Emma, who was sound asleep in his arms. She’d fallen asleep a few minutes ago, when they’d been sitting around on the deck of the Jolly Roger, which was currently anchored in a secluded bay. They had been simply admiring the Northern Lights after a meal of Icelandic cod that Killian had managed to catch. As much as he’d wanted to take Emma to one of the dining establishments in nearby Reykjavik, she’d reminded him that while people in Storybrooke were willing enough to accept doubloons as payment, people in Iceland might not be as understanding. She’d also mentioned something about them lacking something called passports. While he wasn’t entirely sure what they were, he gathered they were this world’s equivalent to letters of transit, which allowed people to legally enter different countries. Either way, she seemed to be content with what he’d been able to prepare for her in terms of an evening meal. Once they’d eaten their fill, they’d continued to admire the Northern Lights, which were now fully underway. As they did so, Killian had regaled Emma with the various myths and legends that had been built around the natural wonder, which he’d learned about within one of the books at the Storybrooke library, before comparing them to tales from the Enchanted Forest, which had their own unique auroras up in the northernmost regions. Eventually, Emma had drifted off to sleep, lulled by the sound of his voice.

Being careful not to wake her, Killian gently placed her atop the bed within the Captain’s Quarters before stepping over to gently remove her boots, placing them on the floor next to her once the task was complete. Unwilling to risk disturbing her by moving the patchwork quilt that Emma was now lying atop of, he pulled off his leather coat and turned it into an improvised blanket, tucking it up under her chin. When he was sure his coat was completely covering her sleeping form, he crouched down next to the bed, simply gazing at her face.

“I know I probably sound like a coward, saying this to you when you’re sleeping and unable to hear me, Swan,” he whispered. “But it’s not because I’m unwilling to say it out loud. It’s because I realize that you might not be ready to hear it quite yet. But that’s quite all right. Because I meant what I said that day at the hospital. You’re a woman worth waiting for. And I can wait forever for you to be ready to hear this. At the same time, I can’t hold it in any longer. So I hope you’ll forgive me for saying it now, when you’re asleep and cannot hear me.” Pausing, Killian carefully extracted Emma’s hand from beneath his coat and brought it up to his lips. “I love you, Emma Swan. And I will wait, and look forward to the moment when you’re ready to hear me say it to you directly.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A final thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this story. I hope it was to your liking.


	15. Author's Note

For those of you who enjoyed reading Rash Defamation, you might like to know that it's the first part of a fanfiction series I'm currently working on. So, if you're interested in continuing, be sure to check out Once Upon a Christmastime, which focuses on the first Christmas in Storybrooke after the Dark Curse was broken, and Dreamwalkers, which follows Belle, Jefferson and Ruby's adventure while they're away in the Enchanted Forest.


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